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
Example Sentences
He has a piece of shrapnel in his leg. Shrapnel from the explosion wounded many people.
Recent Examples on the Web Pinochet said his knee was shattered by shrapnel from a mortar that was fired after a drone spotted him in last week’s counteroffensive. 
John Hudson, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 Avila later learned that a student in her class was wounded by shrapnel to the nose and mouth but had since been released from medical care. Acacia Coronado, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Sep. 2022 Another officer was hit by shrapnel in the face and other places, according to police. Vic Verbalaitis, The Arizona Republic, 30 Aug. 2022 One officer was shot in the shoulder while the other was struck by shrapnel, the release said. Dakin Andone, CNN, 29 Aug. 2022 Vlad Sorokin, 21, a port worker from Odesa, clung to life in a hospital, his lungs and liver torn, ribs and hip broken by shrapnel from a cruise missile. New York Times, 19 Aug. 2022 Three weeks later, on March 17th, Makhach was hit by shrapnel in the back of the head near the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2022 Four of the people on the porch were also wounded, and another was hit by shrapnel. BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2022 Luke also suffered injuries from shrapnel and was treated and released from the hospital last month. Rebekah Riess And Ashley Killough, CNN, 3 Aug. 2022 See More
John Hudson, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 Avila later learned that a student in her class was wounded by shrapnel to the nose and mouth but had since been released from medical care. Acacia Coronado, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Sep. 2022 Another officer was hit by shrapnel in the face and other places, according to police. Vic Verbalaitis, The Arizona Republic, 30 Aug. 2022 One officer was shot in the shoulder while the other was struck by shrapnel, the release said. Dakin Andone, CNN, 29 Aug. 2022 Vlad Sorokin, 21, a port worker from Odesa, clung to life in a hospital, his lungs and liver torn, ribs and hip broken by shrapnel from a cruise missile. New York Times, 19 Aug. 2022 Three weeks later, on March 17th, Makhach was hit by shrapnel in the back of the head near the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2022 Four of the people on the porch were also wounded, and another was hit by shrapnel. BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2022 Luke also suffered injuries from shrapnel and was treated and released from the hospital last month. Rebekah Riess And Ashley Killough, CNN, 3 Aug. 2022 See More 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
: small metal pieces that scatter outwards from an exploding bomb, shell, or mine