shrapnel
/ˈʃɹæpnəl/ noun C1- An anti-personnel artillery shell used in World War I which carries a large number of individual bullets or balls close to the target and then ejects them to allow them to continue along the shell's trajectory and strike the target individually.
- The bullets or balls from the aforementioned type of artillery shell.
- Any shot, fragments, or debris thrown out by an exploding shell, bomb, or landmine.
- Debris. · The dog ate my sandwich, and there was shrapnel all over the place from him tearing open the bag.
- Loose change.
Plural shrapnels
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