shrapnel
noun /ˈʃræpnəl/
/ˈʃræpnəl/
[uncountable]- small pieces of metal that are thrown out with a lot of force when a bomb explodes
- Two people were hit by shrapnel.
- a piece of shrapnel
- a shrapnel wound
Extra Examples- He took shrapnel to his leg.
- He was hit in the arm by flying shrapnel.
- The rocket sent shrapnel in every direction.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- flying
- deadly
- piece
- be hit by
- be killed by
- be wounded by
- …
- fly
- be lodged
- wound
- shrapnel from
- shrapnel in
Word Originearly 19th cent.: named after General Henry Shrapnel (1761–1842), the British soldier who invented the shell.