friendly fire
noun
: the firing of weapons from one's own forces or those of an ally especially when resulting in the accidental death or injury of one's own personnel
Near the river bordering our camp I find the tents of the four soldiers who were supposedly hit by friendly fire.—
Janine Di Giovanni
Janine Di GiovanniAfter all, accidental attacks, though tragic, are common in war. In 1967 alone, "friendly fire" killed 5,373 Americans fighting in Vietnam.—Michael Oren
Michael OrenExamples of friendly fire in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The fighter jets were lost due to malfunction, a friendly fire shootdown, and a defensive evasive maneuver, according to the Navy's investigation.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
Over the course of its full deployment from September 2024 through May 2025, the carrier strike group had a friendly fire incident in December — when a Navy destroyer launched missiles at two F-18s — a collision with a merchant ship in February and lost two F-18s, one in April and another in May.
—Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
He just got caught in friendly fire and my deep desire to make an impression on my bosses and keep my job.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
That fall, the same quintet started the first 16 games of the year and played 86% of the season’s snaps together before McGlinchey broke ribs in a friendly fire incident and missed the finale.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
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MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
Over the course of its full deployment from September 2024 through May 2025, the carrier strike group had a friendly fire incident in December — when a Navy destroyer launched missiles at two F-18s — a collision with a merchant ship in February and lost two F-18s, one in April and another in May.
—Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
He just got caught in friendly fire and my deep desire to make an impression on my bosses and keep my job.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
That fall, the same quintet started the first 16 games of the year and played 86% of the season’s snaps together before McGlinchey broke ribs in a friendly fire incident and missed the finale.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for friendly fire
Cite this Entry
“Friendly fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friendly%20fire. Accessed 13 Dec. 2025.
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