shrapnel

noun

shrap·​nel ˈshrap-nᵊl 

 especially Southern  ˈsrap-

plural shrapnel

1

: a projectile that consists of a case provided with a powder charge and a large number of usually lead balls and that is exploded in flight

2

: bomb, mine, or shell fragments

Examples of shrapnel in a Sentence

He has a piece of shrapnel in his leg.

Shrapnel from the explosion wounded many people.

Recent Examples on the Web

Lawrence said the all-volunteer department responded within two minutes of the explosion and has since used drone footage to identify large pieces of shrapnel and building debris scattered across the site. —Molly Gibbs, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2025

Waves are constantly breaking in the ocean, spewing massive volumes of biological shrapnel, such as proteins, fats and DNA fragments from decomposed microbes. —Max G. Levy, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025

In a separate post on Telegram, the MDA said that 17 people had been injured, including 40-year-old man who was in serious condition with shrapnel wounds to his lower limbs. —Nbc News, NBC news, 21 June 2025

Despite being struck in the face by shrapnel, Kittock remained engaged, gathering information, helping locate and neutralize the shooter and protecting civilians. —Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 16 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Henry Shrapnel †1842 English artillery officer

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

shrapnel

noun

shrap·​nel ˈshrap-nᵊl 

plural shrapnel

1

: a shell designed to burst and scatter metal balls with which it is filled along with jagged fragments of the case

2

: metal pieces from an exploded bomb, shell, or mine