collateral damage
noun
: injury inflicted on something other than an intended target
specifically
: civilian casualties of a military operation
Examples of collateral damage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yes, rooting out Hamas would be brutal—the group welcomes civilian collateral damage and has entrenched itself in hundreds of miles of tunnels honeycombed through civilian infrastructure.
—
Phil Klay, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
The plot focuses on the collateral damage inflicted by drug cartels by following young Sujo (Kevin Uriel Aguilar Luna, Juan Jesús Varela), who grows up in the wake of their violence.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
Children’s Mercy, even then, was treating ever more kids whose lives were ripped apart by bullets, not just at home, but also as collateral damage from drug wars and drive-by shootings.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2024
Maura Tierney’s Ma Von Erich gives us a prime example of how even a loving maternal figure can become collateral damage in a dysfunctional family dynamic.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2023
The scourge of conflicts around the globe, abhorred for killing and maiming unsuspecting civilians and lingering hidden for decades, mines provide cartels with a tactical edge on the battlefield and widen the potential for collateral damage.
—Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024
Grassroots innovation may become collateral damage.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Feb. 2024
Girls’ Night Shocker The night began with Katie telling Ariana that Schwartz misses her after their friendship became collateral damage of Sandoval’s affair.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2024
His gamble already claimed a prominent victim late last year, when Hertz became collateral damage.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2024
Phil Klay, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
The plot focuses on the collateral damage inflicted by drug cartels by following young Sujo (Kevin Uriel Aguilar Luna, Juan Jesús Varela), who grows up in the wake of their violence.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
Children’s Mercy, even then, was treating ever more kids whose lives were ripped apart by bullets, not just at home, but also as collateral damage from drug wars and drive-by shootings.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2024
Maura Tierney’s Ma Von Erich gives us a prime example of how even a loving maternal figure can become collateral damage in a dysfunctional family dynamic.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2023
The scourge of conflicts around the globe, abhorred for killing and maiming unsuspecting civilians and lingering hidden for decades, mines provide cartels with a tactical edge on the battlefield and widen the potential for collateral damage.
—Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024
Grassroots innovation may become collateral damage.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Feb. 2024
Girls’ Night Shocker The night began with Katie telling Ariana that Schwartz misses her after their friendship became collateral damage of Sandoval’s affair.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2024
His gamble already claimed a prominent victim late last year, when Hertz became collateral damage.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'collateral damage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near collateral damage
Cite this Entry
“Collateral damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collateral%20damage. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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