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

That’s what kept his head on straight in the trenches, even when his socks got bogged down with mud and soldiers flanked on either side of him caught shrapnel or pneumonia. —Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026

When police officers arrived to assist the CRU member, who was wounded by shrapnel in his left eye, Cantu opened fire on them as well, and officers returned fire, according to the statement. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026

Five of the wounded, most of them with shrapnel wounds, were hospitalized, according to Oleh Kiper, the head of the regional military administration. —ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026

Surviving service members described a grisly scene, with their fellow soldiers bleeding heavily from shrapnel wounds and dealing with severe head injuries. —Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 27 Apr. 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