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
Otito Ogbonnia hurt his left arm early (friendly fire as the Colts went right down field and scored).
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2025
This isn’t the first time Rodgers has been on camera with some friendly fire.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
If pathogens camouflage themselves successfully, this can lead to a sort of biological friendly fire, in which the body’s immune system attacks its own cells, unable to tell the difference between an invading pathogen and what was already there.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 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
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Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2025
This isn’t the first time Rodgers has been on camera with some friendly fire.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
If pathogens camouflage themselves successfully, this can lead to a sort of biological friendly fire, in which the body’s immune system attacks its own cells, unable to tell the difference between an invading pathogen and what was already there.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 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
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 25 Oct. 2025.
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