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 Part of that danger lies in the fact that sepsis causes collateral damage to vital organs. Kayla Hui, Verywell Health, 10 Mar. 2024 By the end of most of them, blood is on the floor, and the collateral damage is steep. Mark Harris Keita Morimoto, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Mercedes could also look to current Ferrari driver and two-time race-winner Sainz, who became collateral damage in the Hamilton saga, though the Spaniard will almost certainly have options across the grid. Sam Joseph, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 Providers must do a better job supporting young adult patients through all the collateral damage that comes with cancer and its treatment. TIME, 23 Feb. 2024 But both companies confirmed that there’s nothing wrong with their networks; the complaints are instead collateral damage, people trying to reach their AT&T contacts and not getting through. Brian Barrett, WIRED, 22 Feb. 2024 District 3 has become collateral damage in the city’s zeal to overbuild housing and shortchange infrastructure. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024 Any consequences with Jennifer are just collateral damage from views that have settled into smugness. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2024 When Gay resigned as Harvard’s president in what started as a dispute over handling anti-Semitism on campus and included plagiarism charges, DEI was the collateral damage. Peter Vanham, Fortune, 11 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'collateral damage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of collateral damage was in 1947

Dictionary Entries Near collateral damage

Cite this Entry

“Collateral damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collateral%20damage. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on collateral damage

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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