casualty

noun

Save Word

ca·su·al·ty | \ ˈka-zhəl-tē

, ˈkazh-wəl-, ˈka-zhə-wəl- \

plural casualties

Definition of casualty

1a : a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action The army sustained heavy casualties.

b : a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed : victim the ex-senator was a casualty of the last election

2 : serious or fatal accident : disaster losses from fire, storm, or other casualty— J. S. Seidman

3 archaic : chance, fortune losses that befall them by mere casualty— Sir Walter Raleigh

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About casualty

Examples of casualty in a Sentence

a low number of casualties the real casualties in the war against drugs are millions of innocent children

Recent Examples on the Web The mass-casualty shooting came amid a violent weekend in Chicago. — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 20 June 2022 Mass-casualty fires and industrial disasters, particularly in garment factories, which account for 80 percent of the country’s exports, have been a recurring problem in Bangladesh. — New York Times, 7 June 2022 Mass-casualty fires and industrial disasters, particularly in garment factories, which account for 80% of the country’s exports, have been a recurring problem in Bangladesh. — Saif Hasnat, BostonGlobe.com, 5 June 2022 The Justice Department traditionally relies on people outside the department with law enforcement expertise and on-the-ground experience with mass-casualty events to participate in reviews. — Travis Caldwell, CNN, 8 June 2022 That last group was established by survivors of previous mass-casualty crimes to manage two funds, one for victims and survivors and one for the broader community, Marc C. Lenahan, the National Compassion Fund’s chair, told me. — Elizabeth Williamson, The Atlantic, 2 June 2022 Authorities in Lincoln, Nebraska responded to a mass casualty incident Sunday evening where at least one person is dead and several people are believed to be injured after multiple vehicles crashed and rolled into a crowd of people. — Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 30 May 2022 Like other mass-casualty incidents at American schools, the Uvalde massacre followed the now-familiar pattern of outrage, thoughts and prayers and calls for reforming the country's gun laws. — Sarah Elbeshbishi, USA TODAY, 28 May 2022 Everybody in a trauma hospital has a role in a mass-casualty event. — Rachel Pearson, The New Yorker, 27 May 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'casualty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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casual observer

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Statistics for casualty

Last Updated

26 Jun 2022

Cite this Entry

“Casualty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/casualty. Accessed 27 Jun. 2022.

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More Definitions for casualty

casualty

noun

ca·su·al·ty | \ ˈka-zhəl-tē

plural casualties

Kids Definition of casualty

1 : a person who is hurt or killed in a war, disaster, or accident

2 : a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed The old tree was a casualty of the storm.

casualty

noun

ca·su·al·ty | \ ˈkazh-əl-tē, ˈkazh-(ə-)wəl-

plural casualties

Medical Definition of casualty

1 : a serious or fatal accident

2 : a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action

3a : injury or death from accident

b : one injured or killed (as by accident)

casualty

noun

ca·su·al·ty | \ ˈka-zhəl-tē, ˈka-zhə-wəl-

plural casualties

Legal Definition of casualty

1 : an unfortunate occurrence especially : a serious and often disastrous accident conversion of property…arising from fire, storm, shipwreck, or other casualty — Internal Revenue Code