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 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

Accounts of injuries, even fatalities, are reminders that beneath the mystery of a bog’s soft ground lies real danger.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
No fatalities and no structure losses or damages have been reported as of Friday morning.

— Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of fatality

Noun

Team owner James Dolan promised rings to the players' significant others as well, highlighting that the support and sacrifices of the players' partners during last season's playoffs were vital to securing the title.

— Otis Livingston, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Watching the Taliban regain power called into question the meaning of their sacrifice, and the government’s difficulty evacuating Afghan comrades who had fought with them felt like a betrayal.

— Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of sacrifice

Noun

The Baton Rouge Police Department identified the victims as 21-year-old Leah Fonte and 21-year-old Shane Hirstius, who were engaged.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has begun notifying victims impacted by a recent data breach of driver’s license and motor vehicle data, but not everyone whose information was stolen will receive an alert.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of victim

Noun

Overnight, Russia struck energy and civilian targets across Ukraine, resulting in at least one casualty, according to local media reports.

— Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
The drills include amphibious landing, air and missile defense and mine sweeping, as well as intelligence gathering, logistics and resupply and casualty evacuation on several remote islands, including Tanegashima.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of casualty

Noun

In the new National Geographic documentary Super Scam Me, journalist Maria van Zeller transforms herself into the perfect prey to dive deep into how romance fraud works.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Waterfowl and shorebirds are natural hosts of avian influenza viruses, the Ojai Raptor Center said, eagles like Jackie can be exposed through contact with infected birds or infected prey.

— Allison Gibson, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of prey

Noun

Today, on what would have been his 33rd birthday, our Nation honors the loving memory of Charlie Kirk – a father, husband, Christian martyr, & titan of the conservative movement.

— Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
According to Bilal—who had nine cousins in Nusra, six of whom were already dead—these fighters were so keen to die in battle during Ramadan, the best time to be a martyr, that Nusra had to organize a lottery of names for suicide attacks.

— Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 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 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of collateral damage

noun

Example Sentences

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