friendly fire
noun
: the firing of weapons from one's own forces or those of an ally especially when resulting in the accidental death or injury of one's own personnel
Near the river bordering our camp I find the tents of the four soldiers who were supposedly hit by friendly fire.—
Janine Di Giovanni
Janine Di GiovanniAfter all, accidental attacks, though tragic, are common in war. In 1967 alone, "friendly fire" killed 5,373 Americans fighting in Vietnam.—Michael Oren
Michael OrenExamples of friendly fire in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bartolotta earned his negotiator’s stripes deep in the jungles of Thailand, compensating relatives of victims of friendly fire.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
Three officers — in Chicago; in Rayne, Louisiana; and in West York Borough, Pennsylvania, just north of where Wednesday's incident occurred — have been killed by friendly fire this year, according to the Officer Down site.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Tom was a victim of friendly fire when Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson leveled quarterback Jordan Love into him on safety Brian Branch’s pick-six that didn’t count because of defensive holding.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy was ruled out for the remainder of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers with a shoulder injury – and friendly fire is what took him out.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
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News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
Three officers — in Chicago; in Rayne, Louisiana; and in West York Borough, Pennsylvania, just north of where Wednesday's incident occurred — have been killed by friendly fire this year, according to the Officer Down site.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Tom was a victim of friendly fire when Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson leveled quarterback Jordan Love into him on safety Brian Branch’s pick-six that didn’t count because of defensive holding.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy was ruled out for the remainder of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers with a shoulder injury – and friendly fire is what took him out.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for friendly fire
Cite this Entry
“Friendly fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friendly%20fire. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
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