COLLATERAL DAMAGE Synonyms: 18 Similar and Opposite Words

collateral damage

noun

Definition of collateral damage

as in fatality

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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 Alleged Hamas operatives are assigned a NAZA number, representing how many civilian deaths are acceptable as collateral damage. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2026 But that may not be enough to overcome the collateral damage of the president’s sagging approval rating and soaring fuel prices because of the war. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026 The campaign also places particular emphasis on technologies capable of defeating drones while minimizing collateral damage. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for collateral damage

Recent Examples of Synonyms for collateral damage

Noun

The death toll related to Isaias has risen to four, with fatalities reported in Florida and Alabama.

— Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
The youth does not appear to be facing charges directly related to the two fatalities.

— Asia Simone Burns, AJC.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of fatality

Noun

Campbell cautioned that this doesn’t mean that the hundreds of other burials in these areas were also victims of human sacrifice.

— Jack Guy, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
Travis Roy Rogers plays Darrel Curtis, the eldest who has been forced to take on a parental role and is starting to resent all his unappreciated sacrifices.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of sacrifice

Noun

In delivering her victim impact statement, Collins’ mother said their family can’t look at a bathtub without thinking of what happened.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2026
The entry is paired with a suite of portraits of a number of Black men and women wearing MooreWraps, versatile multi-wear garments created by Moore’s sister with proceeds donated to victims of domestic violence and incarceration.

— Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of victim

Noun

But in this shift from the corporate martyr to corporate menace, Garfield has come upon a full circle narrative that could finally earn him an Academy Award nearly two decades later.

— Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of martyr

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collateral

collateral damage

collateral damages

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Style

“Collateral damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collateral%20damage. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of collateral damage

noun

Example Sentences

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