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 The history of warfare is often measured in winners, losers, troop sizes, dollars and human casualties; but collateral damage across the animal kingdom far outlasts the final shot. — The Los Angeles Times, Mercury News, 18 June 2026 The closest planetary neighbors—Mercury, Venus, and possibly even Earth—will be destroyed in the resultant collateral damage. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 1 July 2026 Herbicide Damage Yellowing leaves can also occur as collateral damage from nearby weed killer applications. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 June 2026 Whatever the real motive, foreign customers—including many of Europe’s Fortune 500—became collateral damage in a dispute between the administration and one of America’s leading AI developers. — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 June 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 majority of these strikes happen during the summer, causing around 20 fatalities each year, according to the NWS.
    — KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
  • The three fatalities are believed to have been children all under the age of 13, CBS Chicago reports, citing law enforcement sources.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of fatality
Noun
  • It is also told through families, workers, immigrants, entrepreneurs, churches, communities, and quiet acts of sacrifice that rarely make history books but shape the nation just the same.
    — Phil Kafarakis, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • The 55-year-old country singer frequently honors veterans and first responders while recognizing their sacrifices on patriotic holidays.
    — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of sacrifice
Noun
  • The families of the victims said the pain is still as raw to this day.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • Most of the victims lived nearby, and funeral prayers were expected later Tuesday.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • New reads abound for your vacation tote throughout the weeks of July, with fiction picks featuring a Carnival cruise casualty, a highly entertaining jewel heist at the Waldorf-Astoria, and a Soviet-era madcap adventure.
    — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Ukrainian forces have suffered 525,000 to 625,000 casualties, including 125,000 to 150,000 deaths, the study said.
    — Chris Boccia, ABC News, 1 July 2026
Definition of casualty
Noun
  • Many individuals fall prey to emotional pitfalls like fear, greed, or shame, leading to impulsive spending, credit card debt, and neglecting long-term goals like retirement.
    — ByGabriel Shahin, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Cod are slow to grow and reproduce, and the effects of climate change—warming their waters and reducing their preferred prey—didn’t help.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026
Definition of prey
Noun
  • The congregation started to arrive at the usual time, about half an hour before Mass on a recent Saturday afternoon, the old church slowly filling with the descendants and caretakers of a place of great serenity but also great loss.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Fireflies are facing growing challenges from habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change and light pollution.
    — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 5 July 2026
Definition of loss
Noun
  • Iranian state media and the regime routinely refer to Khamenei as a martyr.
    — Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 3 July 2026
  • This vessel has a controversial past, built by Nazi Germany in 1935 as SSS *Horst Wessel*, named after a Nazi martyr, before being taken as war reparations by the US.
    — Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 30 June 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 8 Jul. 2026.

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