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
Well, one person’s cultural tragedy is another, far richer person’s accidental collateral damage.
—
Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Destitute and determined not to become collateral damage, Rae disguises herself as a man and becomes employed at a squalid turpentine camp in Georgia named Swallow Hill.
—Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2026
Peaceful protests are a warning of what happens when the federal government ignores its constitutional obligations and treats human lives as collateral damage.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
For Carlson and company, anti-Semitism is a means to an end, and Jews are simply collateral damage.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for collateral damage
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Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Destitute and determined not to become collateral damage, Rae disguises herself as a man and becomes employed at a squalid turpentine camp in Georgia named Swallow Hill.
—Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2026
Peaceful protests are a warning of what happens when the federal government ignores its constitutional obligations and treats human lives as collateral damage.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
For Carlson and company, anti-Semitism is a means to an end, and Jews are simply collateral damage.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for collateral damage
Cite this Entry
“Collateral damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collateral%20damage. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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