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

Sirens over Israel warned of barrages of incoming Iranian missiles and in the United Arab Emirates, two people were reported killed and three were wounded by falling shrapnel from a missile interception over Abu Dhabi on Thursday. —Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026

In the United Arab Emirates, two people were reported killed by shrapnel from a missile interception over Abu Dhabi. —Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026

The people injured include a man in his 50s with shrapnel injuries to his limbs. —Rebecca Shabad, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026

In Kuwait, power lines were hit by air defense shrapnel, causing partial electricity outages for several hours. —Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026

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