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 The number of civilian casualties is steadily creeping up as a result, particularly among Ukrainians. — David Brennan, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2026 The article again accuses Hegseth of using military force without congressional authorization and says the strikes led to civilian casualties. — Stefan Becket, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026 However, the previous month, think tank CSIS reported that Ukraine had likely suffered between 500,000 and 600,000 casualties up to December 2025, of which between 100,000 and 140,000 are thought to have been killed. — Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026 But as the practice gained popularity — and got glamorized on social media — the casualties climbed. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 10 Nov. 2026 The Saudi Energy Ministry said there were no casualties at the Aramco facility. — Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026 The war has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties. — Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 2 Nov. 2026 In Abu Hamad, a drone strike the same day destroyed the substation and knocked it out of service but caused no casualties, the local security committee said. — Hamza Fahmy, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026 This year, the United Nations has documented more than 2,060 settler attacks resulting in Palestinian casualties or property damage, about seven per day. — Suheir Hashimeh, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for casualties
  1. fatalities
  2. accidents
  3. chances
  4. victims
  5. luck
  6. circumstances
  7. hazards
Noun
  • As of 2022, seniors represented less than 15 percent of the city’s population but accounted for approximately 45 percent of pedestrian fatalities.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The crackdown also took aim at electric bikes and scooters with illegally powerful motors, which have been implicated in multiple fatalities this year.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of fatalities
Noun
  • The circumstances around Denton’s death are also being reviewed by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), which routinely investigates workplace accidents.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Or in this case of 28, is there evidence of multiple accidents where deer have been struck?
    — John Shumway, CBS News, 10 Nov. 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
  • What readers are saying The comments revolve around the theme of success and the role of luck versus hard work.
    — Razzan Nakhlawi, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Just put in the effort and the prayers and have a little bit of luck and keep rolling on, baby.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of luck
Noun
  • Neither the police department nor the sheriff's office has provided details about the circumstances surrounding Nasca's arrest.
    — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The primordial puddle also has other molecules, simpler raw ingredients that can, under the correct circumstances, be turned into more of themselves.
    — Perri Thaler, Quanta Magazine, 10 Nov. 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 13 Nov. 2026.

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