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

Her family’s money was confiscated; her favorite uncle, Otto, was murdered by the Nazis; shrapnel lodged in Hepburn’s neck, giving it its beguiling tilt. —Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026

Bores, who was a leader in the Communication Workers of America, also celebrated the death of an Israeli civilian hit by shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026

The blasts had sent rubble and shrapnel hurtling through the theater’s portico and its tympanum, whose statuary muses, farmers, and metalsmiths were still upright but were backlit by sunbeams now that no masonry was behind them. —James Verini, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026

In addition to the 18-year-old woman who died, authorities said, others suffered gunshot and shrapnel wounds as dozens of shots were fired at the popular boating, fishing and swimming lake about 20 miles north of downtown Oklahoma City. —Hannah Schoenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 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