cannon fodder

noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Kings, Preds, Mammoth ought to all be glorified cannon fodder. Troy Renck, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2026 Ivy becomes easy cannon fodder, but A-Train comes through to save Hughie from a quick laser death. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026 This is a team that has lacked an identity all season, other than serving as cannon fodder for most of the rest of the league. James Mirtle, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026 Black parents in the city were angry that their children were being used as what seemed to some like cannon fodder. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cannon fodder

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cannon fodder was in 1847

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Cite this Entry

“Cannon fodder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cannon%20fodder. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.

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