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collateral damage

noun

Definition of collateral damagenext
as in fatality

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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 collateral damage What’s at issue is collateral damage, a term that came into use during the Vietnam War to obscure, through abstraction, that masses of civilians were being systematically blown to pieces. — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026 The memo says nothing about what happens when private corporations cause collateral damage to those third parties, or who will be responsible for it. — Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026 Soon, her relationship with her daughter’s father, boxer Wladimir Klitschko, became collateral damage to her struggles. — Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026 In this grim status quo, a certain amount of grief becomes collateral damage. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for collateral damage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collateral damage
  1. fatality
  2. sacrifice
  3. victim
  4. casualty
  5. prey
  6. loss
  7. martyr
Noun
  • The proper accounting of military fatalities has implications beyond public transparency.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The classification covers incidents involving aircraft destruction, fatalities, or qualifying damage exceeding $2 million.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of fatality
Noun
  • The killing is halfway between femicide and, as the earth drinks up her blood, ritual sacrifice.
    — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Allen's trial attorneys wanted to put an expert witness on the stand to testify the killings appeared to be a ritual sacrifice by people who worshipped Odin, the king of the gods in Norse mythology.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of sacrifice
Noun
  • The studies with these conclusions have not held up over time and may be victims of publication bias.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Ventura was not truly a victim and deserved to face consequences alongside Combs.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • The officials said Afghan Taliban forces subsequently abandoned several positions and suffered casualties.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Amid soaring casualties on the front lines, mounting economic hardship and rising public anxiety, the reality of what Russia calls its Special Military Operation in Ukraine is increasingly being felt.
    — Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of casualty
Noun
  • Threats facing the species include habitat loss, declining prey populations and human-wildlife conflict.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Over Labor Day weekend, Springfield Public Schools, a district in western Massachusetts that serves twenty-three thousand students across some sixty schools, fell prey to a cyberattack that shuttered classes for four days.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of prey
Noun
  • Laura Steinberg, a volunteer for the last 10 years, said the loss of performances has already been heart- wrenching.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The miscues and lack of execution affected all phases of the game during their 6-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of loss
Noun
  • The 100th annual festival celebrates the life of San Gennaro, who was the Bishop of Benevento, Italy, and a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church.
    — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Today, millions more people know about his stance on this issue and, thanks to Kraft, many see him as a martyr for a cause.
    — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of martyr

Browse Nearby Words

collateral
collateral damage
collateral damages
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Cite this Entry

“Collateral damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collateral%20damage. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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