noun

• 1Fragments of a bomb, shell, or other object thrown out by an explosion.

  ‘Soft flesh is no match for mortar shells, rocket-propelled grenade fragments and shrapnel thrown out in all directions by roadside bombs.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘First into battle was Joe, who ran a head-on-head, slightly damaging his shield power from the enemy's explosion throwing shrapnel into it.’
  • ‘Bombs not only throw off shrapnel themselves, they create lots of deadly flying debris, including flying glass from broken windows, that can kill and maim.’
  • ‘The energy overload feedback has electrocuted several that were not killed by shrapnel when the explosions occurred.’
  • ‘The hospital also received 39 people who were wounded in the explosion, most by shrapnel.’
  • ‘With the gunfire, shell explosions, shrapnel flying around him, he couldn't think with all destruction going on around him.’
  • ‘Most of the shells fired by artillery guns were high explosive shells which could throw shrapnel over a wide distance in the trenches.’
  • ‘Almost immediately, Smith was wounded a second time by fragments of shrapnel.’
  • ‘A second later, the building exploded, throwing bits of shrapnel everywhere and knocking the unprepared Chris off his feet.’
  • ‘Detectives also found about 130 fragments of steel shrapnel lying around the blast scene.’
  • ‘He returned home with shrapnel wounds and tales of fighting U.S. military might with a rifle.’
  • ‘Those who escaped death from blast and shrapnel wounds were ordered outside, only to be mown down under a hail of bullets from automatic weapons.’
  • ‘The captain's colleagues received shrapnel wounds but their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.’
  • ‘Then you work out the size of the bomb, the type of explosives, the attendant shrapnel, the amount of building damage and the amount of flying glass.’
  • ‘Two Kastani fighters were slashed with shrapnel from the explosion, and the nearest Alliance vessels were physically displaced by the shock wave.’
  • ‘She recoiled from the explosion and flying shrapnel.’
  • ‘A 20-year-old man in his house when it was bombed ‘took shrapnel in his leg,’ Campbell recounted.’
  • ‘Wooden fragments exploded into shrapnel all around him.’
  • ‘Even the captain himself worked on pressurized storage lockers around the perimeter of the hold had been damaged by shrapnel from the explosion.’
  • ‘Another mortar blast struck a tree looking down over the trenches, scattering fragments of shrapnel all down into the fortifications.’

  1. 1.1historical A shell containing bullets or pieces of metal timed to burst short of impact.
     ‘A belated shrapnel-shot shrieked and burst, and everything grew still.’
     More example sentences

     • ‘British cannon bombarded Nxele's men with shrapnel shell and ensured their rout.’
     • ‘Shrapnel shell was unsuited to the disablement of aeroplanes.’
     • ‘The public has chosen to ignore the facts that shrapnel shell has become obsolete and that anti-aircraft guns fire high-explosive only’
     • ‘The battalion was shelled intermittently with high explosive and shrapnel.’
     • ‘Hardly did I walk two or three steps than four or five shrapnels burst near me.’
     • ‘Under them 18-pounder shrapnel, shedding sparks of burning fuses, tore screaming away east.’
     • ‘A couple of shrapnels were sent after them to keep them on the run.’