COLLATERAL DAMAGE Synonyms: 18 Similar and Opposite Words

collateral damage

noun

Definition of collateral damage

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

Noun

The sport could no longer pretend that fatalities were random acts of God rather than the predictable output of a system not designed carefully enough.

— Jessica Vitiritti, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Phil DiMartino, a police spokesman, the crash is Kansas City’s 51st traffic fatality this year.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of fatality

Noun

Training to become a top-tier classical dancer demands discipline and sacrifice anywhere.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
While her brother is torn between his sister and power, a devastating secret will reveal that neither resistance nor sacrifice is enough to stop oblivion.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of sacrifice

Noun

South African police said Monday that another body of a woman was discovered in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, bringing the total number of female victims recently found in the area to 11.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
The family of one of the victims in the shooting, Tiru Chabba, is already suing OpenAI in federal court.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of victim

Noun

The country, which was already losing too many troops, began incurring casualties that seemed unsustainable.

— Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
The congregants did not know that a man police say was driven by hatred had allegedly arrived with weapons and the capacity to cause mass casualties.

— Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of casualty

Noun

Can consumers participate online without falling prey to scammers?

— Jon M. Huntsman, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2026
The Project’s ranks now include about 80 fishermen manning 15 boats who also support the tagging and research of their erstwhile prey (their work has led to the recent world-first tagging of 10 tiger sharks in Indonesian waters).

— Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of prey

Noun

Defensive end Tony Carter stuffed a rushing attempt by backup quarterback Skyler Williams for a 1-yard loss, setting the Red Wolves up with their best starting field position to that point.

— Michael Harley, Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2026
Hormonal conditions Many women may notice hair loss with changes in hormones such as during pregnancy, menopause or even after starting or stopping birth control pills.

— Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 26 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

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collateral damage

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Style

“Collateral damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collateral%20damage. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of collateral damage

noun

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