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
There were no fatalities in Saturday’s attack, but a 7-year-old girl was severely injured by shrapnel that fell on a Bedouin community in Israel’s southern Negev desert.
—
William Neff, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
The agency said Lopez shot at Bullis five times with one of the rounds striking her left hip and shrapnel injuring her lip.
—The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
The Iron Dome has already been active in deflecting them, although a 10-year-old boy was reportedly injured by shrapnel from an interceptor missile.
—Brian Barrett, WIRED, 14 Apr. 2024
Two days later, Noah was hit by artillery and hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
That was in part because DTEK — anticipating such strikes — set up passive protections such as sandbags, which shielded essential staff from shrapnel.
—Serhii Korolchuk, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Private Tretiak, with shrapnel wounds in both legs from grenade explosions and his right hand ripped apart by a bullet, reloaded magazines for his comrade.
—Marc Santora, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
The parent, Stellantis, said in documents posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website that affected vehicles' side airbag inflators can explode and hurl shrapnel inside the vehicle.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 22 Mar. 2024
But a United Nations observer, sent to Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, found the majority of the dead and wounded from the convoy had suffered from bullet and shrapnel wounds.
—CBS News, 3 Mar. 2024
William Neff, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
The agency said Lopez shot at Bullis five times with one of the rounds striking her left hip and shrapnel injuring her lip.
—The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
The Iron Dome has already been active in deflecting them, although a 10-year-old boy was reportedly injured by shrapnel from an interceptor missile.
—Brian Barrett, WIRED, 14 Apr. 2024
Two days later, Noah was hit by artillery and hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
That was in part because DTEK — anticipating such strikes — set up passive protections such as sandbags, which shielded essential staff from shrapnel.
—Serhii Korolchuk, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Private Tretiak, with shrapnel wounds in both legs from grenade explosions and his right hand ripped apart by a bullet, reloaded magazines for his comrade.
—Marc Santora, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
The parent, Stellantis, said in documents posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website that affected vehicles' side airbag inflators can explode and hurl shrapnel inside the vehicle.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 22 Mar. 2024
But a United Nations observer, sent to Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, found the majority of the dead and wounded from the convoy had suffered from bullet and shrapnel wounds.
—CBS News, 3 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shrapnel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near shrapnel
Cite this Entry
“Shrapnel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrapnel. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
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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