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
The people of Iran are not collateral damage.
—
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Yet that requires taking care to distinguish between the regime and its civilians, and to avoid collateral damage.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
The new grenade, called the M111, becomes the Army’s choice for urban combat, when troops must clear indoor areas to take and hold territory, because there’s less risk of collateral damage.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Any strike near such locations could impact large numbers of civilians, raising concerns about collateral damage in already tense urban environments.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for collateral damage
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Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Yet that requires taking care to distinguish between the regime and its civilians, and to avoid collateral damage.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
The new grenade, called the M111, becomes the Army’s choice for urban combat, when troops must clear indoor areas to take and hold territory, because there’s less risk of collateral damage.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Any strike near such locations could impact large numbers of civilians, raising concerns about collateral damage in already tense urban environments.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Apr. 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 14 Apr. 2026.
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