collateral damage

noun

: injury inflicted on something other than an intended target

specifically : civilian casualties of a military operation

Examples of collateral damage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When Tommy dies as collateral damage of Carrie’s violence in the finale, his final words will be about those same stars. — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Dissatisfaction among commercial fishermen could cause collateral damage for Republicans in competitive races in Washington, Alaska and Maine. — Patrick Whittle, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026

The film suggests the number is elastic, from several to a dozen to as high as 500 people who were deemed permissible collateral damage, according to Israeli military personnel interviewed in the doc. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026

Those in charge of that particular bombing knew the collateral damage would be in the hundreds. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for collateral damage

• ramage
• samaj