cannon fodder

noun

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Definition of cannon fodder

1 : soldiers regarded or treated as expendable in battle

2 : an expendable or exploitable person, group, or thing celebrities who have become cannon fodder for the tabloids

Examples of cannon fodder in a Sentence

The poorly trained forces are little more than cannon fodder.

Recent Examples on the Web It’s filled with horrific images of life in the tunnels, where just waiting to die in awful conditions became its own kind of torture; the film emphasizes the experiences of soldiers who were treated as cannon fodder by those in command. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2021 The right people were getting infected less, and the cannon fodder was leaping out of the trenches. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2021 The right people were getting infected less, and the cannon fodder was leaping out of the trenches. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2021 The right people were getting infected less, and the cannon fodder was leaping out of the trenches. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2021 The right people were getting infected less, and the cannon fodder was leaping out of the trenches. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2021 The right people were getting infected less, and the cannon fodder was leaping out of the trenches. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2021 Wexler’s story focuses on the lives of TIE fighter pilots, who are generally treated as faceless cannon fodder in the Star Wars films. — Geek's Guide To The Galaxy, WIRED, 9 July 2021 Subjects of stunt, afterthoughts, cannon fodder — but only rarely and begrudgingly chosen for big-time reporting assignments. — Washington Post, 21 May 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cannon fodder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

4 Oct 2021

Cite this Entry

“Cannon fodder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cannon%20fodder. Accessed 19 Oct. 2021.

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