casualty

noun

ca·​su·​al·​ty ˈka-zhəl-tē How to pronounce casualty (audio)
ˈkazh-wəl-,
ˈka-zhə-wəl- How to pronounce casualty (audio)
plural casualties
1
a
: a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action
The army sustained heavy casualties.
b
: a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed : victim
the ex-senator was a casualty of the last election
2
: serious or fatal accident : disaster
losses from fire, storm, or other casualtyJ. S. Seidman
3
archaic : chance, fortune
losses that befall them by mere casualtySir Walter Raleigh

Examples of casualty in a Sentence

a low number of casualties the real casualties in the war against drugs are millions of innocent children
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.
Officials did not provide a breakdown of casualty figures. Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2025 Despite hundreds of thousands of casualties, the Russian military can still generate forces far greater than Ukraine. Tim Lister, CNN Money, 29 June 2025 In response to the attacks last Saturday, Iran launched a missile attack on Monday against a U.S. military base in Qatar that resulted in no damage or casualties. Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 29 June 2025 Jahangir did not break down the casualty figures but said the attack had hit the prison’s infirmary, engineering building, judicial affairs and visitation hall, where visiting family members were killed and injured. David Rising, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for casualty

Word History

Etymology

see casual entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of casualty was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Casualty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/casualty. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

casualty

noun
ca·​su·​al·​ty ˈkazh-əl-tē How to pronounce casualty (audio)
ˈkazh-(ə-)wəl-
plural casualties
1
: a serious or fatal accident : disaster
2
a
: a military person lost (as by death or capture) during warfare
b
: a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed

Medical Definition

casualty

noun
ca·​su·​al·​ty ˈkazh-əl-tē, ˈkazh-(ə-)wəl- How to pronounce casualty (audio)
plural casualties
1
: a serious or fatal accident
2
: a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action
3
a
: injury or death from accident
b
: one injured or killed (as by accident)

Legal Definition

casualty

noun
ca·​su·​al·​ty ˈka-zhəl-tē, ˈka-zhə-wəl- How to pronounce casualty (audio)
plural casualties
1
: an unfortunate occurrence
especially : a serious and often disastrous accident
conversion of property…arising from fire, storm, shipwreck, or other casualty Internal Revenue Code
2
: something lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed see also casualty gain at gain, casualty loss at loss

More from Merriam-Webster on casualty

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