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
Nearly a quarter-million people were sent to bomb shelters across the central and southern desert Negev region as a precaution due to shrapnel from the interception Tuesday, Fox News has learned.
—
Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2025
Debris like concrete and shrapnel rained down on an environmentally sensitive migratory bird habitat near the company’s Boca Chica launchpad.
—Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 11 Feb. 2025
Preliminary results of Azerbaijan's probe into the fatal incident suggest the aircraft was struck by a Russian anti-aircraft missile, or shrapnel from such a missile, individuals briefed on the investigation noted, according to the Wall Street Journal.
—Alex Nitzberg, Fox News, 27 Dec. 2024
If nitromethane goes into the combustion chamber and doesn’t ignite, liquid fuel has no place to go, and the engine will explode, ejecting shrapnel and engulfing a car and its driver in flames.
—Rachel Kushner, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for shrapnel
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Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2025
Debris like concrete and shrapnel rained down on an environmentally sensitive migratory bird habitat near the company’s Boca Chica launchpad.
—Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 11 Feb. 2025
Preliminary results of Azerbaijan's probe into the fatal incident suggest the aircraft was struck by a Russian anti-aircraft missile, or shrapnel from such a missile, individuals briefed on the investigation noted, according to the Wall Street Journal.
—Alex Nitzberg, Fox News, 27 Dec. 2024
If nitromethane goes into the combustion chamber and doesn’t ignite, liquid fuel has no place to go, and the engine will explode, ejecting shrapnel and engulfing a car and its driver in flames.
—Rachel Kushner, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for shrapnel
Cite this Entry
“Shrapnel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrapnel. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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