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

The helter-skelter approach to data center construction has resulted in significant amounts of money getting flushed down the toilet in unworkable projects – collateral damage from massive competition to be first and biggest. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026

In war, by contrast, the costs are shared by both sides, and the collateral damage can be global, drawing the ire of countries distant from the battlefield. — S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2026

Images circulated daily on social media of children killed as collateral damage in strikes on Hamas targets. — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Oct. 2026

That financial panic set off a sequence of events that would be called the Great Depression, and the collateral damage included the closing of an era of Republican dominance in Washington. — Ron Elving, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for collateral damage

• ramage
• samaj