shrapnel

[ shrap-nl ]
/ ˈʃræp nl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR shrapnel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Military.
  1. a hollow projectile containing bullets or the like and a bursting charge, designed to explode before reaching the target, and to set free a shower of missiles.
  2. such projectiles collectively.
shell fragments.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of shrapnel

1800–10; named after Henry Shrapnel (1761–1842), English army officer, its inventor

Words nearby shrapnel

shpt, shpt., shr., shraddha, shrank, shrapnel, shreadhead, shred, shredded wheat, shredder, shredding
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to shrapnel

armament, bomb, bullet, cartridge, rocket, materiel, missile, chemical, explosive, torpedo, gunpowder, ammo, napalm, shell, shot, fuse, grenade, charge, ball

Example sentences from the Web for shrapnel

British Dictionary definitions for shrapnel

shrapnel
/ (ˈʃræpnəl) /

noun

  1. a projectile containing a number of small pellets or bullets exploded before impact
  2. such projectiles collectively
fragments from this or any other type of shell

Word Origin for shrapnel

C19: named after H. Shrapnel (1761–1842), English army officer, who invented it
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012