casualties

noun

plural of casualty
1
as in fatalities
a person or thing harmed, lost, or destroyed the real casualties in the war against drugs are millions of innocent children

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2
as in accidents
a chance and usually sudden event bringing loss or injury casualties at sea that sometimes resulted in great losses of men or even of entire ships

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in chances
archaic the uncertain course of events believes finding one's true love is too important a matter to be left to mere casualty

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of casualties As many as 16 ballistic missiles and 280 drones were launched by Russia, resulting in casualties, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said early Tuesday. — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026 In Southern California, rival ants warred at the borders of their massive supercolonies for years, with casualties soaring into the millions. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026 The Sinaloa cartel announced a ban on fentanyl production around the same period, and there were news reports of violence and ensuing casualties. — J. Travis Donahoe, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026 Taiwan is generally very well prepared for typhoons, which keeps casualties low. — Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026 The broadcaster has already announced that series including RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind, and Live At The Apollo are all casualties of the cuts. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026 No casualties or damage from the attack were reported at the time. — Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026 The techniques were refined between the wars by the French, British, German, and Spanish armed forces, and during the Second World War, tens of thousands of casualties were flown across the European and Pacific theaters. — New Atlas, 20 Oct. 2026 South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry also blamed Sudan’s military, saying the attack hit multiple locations within the market, causing civilian casualties and extensive property damage. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for casualties
  1. fatalities
  2. accidents
  3. chances
  4. victims
  5. luck
  6. circumstances
  7. hazards
Noun
  • Innocent people who had nothing to do with the trooper pursuits made up nearly 1 in 3 of the fatalities, FHP pursuit data shows.
    — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Lightning strikes on people are rare, and fatalities are even more uncommon.
    — Zoey Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of fatalities
Noun
  • What readers are saying The comments express shock and concern over a recent train collision in Spain, highlighting issues with safety systems and the frequency of such accidents.
    — Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Most damage to the undersea cables that form the Internet’s backbone is the result of accidents involving bottom-trawling fishing nets and ship anchors dragging on the seabed, with storms and undersea landslides also factoring in.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of accidents
Noun
  • Its presence in the environment increases the chances that people will be exposed, and potentially catch it, officials have said.
    — Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The plot’s exposure damaged Democrat Mary Peltola, knocking her off-message, and now threatens her party’s chances of winning control of the Senate.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of chances
Noun
  • American women, being birthed as special victims with special status, are not.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Two of the victims were grazed by bullets, and a 20-year-old man was shot in the abdomen, WSOC reports.
    — Mark Price November 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of victims
Noun
  • The prince didn’t have any luck in blocking Kelce, which comes as little surprise given the Chiefs star knows how to avoid defensive players.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Halloween fireballs Our last pick is going to take a great deal of patience, and a good amount of luck!
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of luck
Noun
  • Everette has a knack for scoring important touchdowns, and when’s facing circumstances that qualify as either make or break, his exact mindset borders on being unstoppable.
    — Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Her physical absence changes nothing about the circumstances of our friendship.
    — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of circumstances
Noun
  • During the flight, the pilot reported icing, which is one of the biggest weather hazards in aviation.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The promising development is that its ability to detect hazards and respond to them is improving.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of hazards

Browse Nearby Words

casualness
casualties
casualty
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Cite this Entry

“Casualties.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/casualties. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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