casualty

noun

ca·​su·​al·​ty ˈka-zhəl-tē How to pronounce casualty (audio)
ˈkazh-wəl-,
ˈka-zhə-wəl-
plural casualties
1
a
: a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action
The army sustained heavy casualties.
b
: a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed : victim
the ex-senator was a casualty of the last election
2
: serious or fatal accident : disaster
losses from fire, storm, or other casualtyJ. S. Seidman
3
archaic : chance, fortune
losses that befall them by mere casualtySir Walter Raleigh

Examples of casualty in a Sentence

a low number of casualties the real casualties in the war against drugs are millions of innocent children
Recent Examples on the Web The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides, with most of the casualties being Palestinian civilians. Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2024 The death toll in Gaza has since passed 30,000, with most of the casualties women and children, according to the World Health Organization. Ashley Ahn, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 At times, the limited shot selection can feel like a casualty of an unforgiving schedule. Stephen Saito, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 Ukraine also has a smaller population than Russia, which means its casualties are felt more deeply. Dara Massicot, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2024 The casualties of last year’s storms was the last straw, according to Karazissis. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024 In one scenario, a one-minute barrage on a 2.4-square-kilometer area of the capital Seoul using just 54 multiple rocket launchers, predicted more than 10,000 casualties. Brad Lendon, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Witnesses described extensive shooting by Israeli forces, and doctors at Gaza hospitals said most of the casualties were from gunfire. Hiba Yazbek, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Israel disputed the casualty count and said people died in a stampede and not from Israeli fire — which officials described as warning shots not directed at the convoy. Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'casualty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see casual entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of casualty was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near casualty

Cite this Entry

“Casualty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/casualty. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

casualty

noun
ca·​su·​al·​ty ˈkazh-əl-tē How to pronounce casualty (audio)
ˈkazh-(ə-)wəl-
plural casualties
1
: a serious or fatal accident : disaster
2
a
: a military person lost (as by death or capture) during warfare
b
: a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed

Medical Definition

casualty

noun
ca·​su·​al·​ty ˈkazh-əl-tē, ˈkazh-(ə-)wəl- How to pronounce casualty (audio)
plural casualties
1
: a serious or fatal accident
2
: a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action
3
a
: injury or death from accident
b
: one injured or killed (as by accident)

Legal Definition

casualty

noun
ca·​su·​al·​ty ˈka-zhəl-tē, ˈka-zhə-wəl- How to pronounce casualty (audio)
plural casualties
1
: an unfortunate occurrence
especially : a serious and often disastrous accident
conversion of property…arising from fire, storm, shipwreck, or other casualty Internal Revenue Code
2
: something lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed see also casualty gain at gain, casualty loss at loss

More from Merriam-Webster on casualty

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