cannon fodder

noun

1
: soldiers regarded or treated as expendable in battle
2
: an expendable or exploitable person, group, or thing
celebrities who have become cannon fodder for the tabloids

Examples of cannon fodder in a Sentence

The poorly trained forces are little more than cannon fodder.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Putin has been forced to recruit more than 100,000 convicts from Russia's prisons in a bid to feed his war machine with cannon fodder. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024 It’s filled with horrific images of life in the tunnels, where just waiting to die in awful conditions became its own kind of torture; the film emphasizes the experiences of soldiers who were treated as cannon fodder by those in command. Keith Phipps, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024 When wading into a sea of enemies, players must constantly swing their chainsaw sword to stay alive because eliminating the cannon fodder recovers health. Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2024 Several returned Nepali fighters who spoke with CNN earlier this year blamed Russia for using them as cannon fodder in the war. Helen Regan, CNN, 10 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for cannon fodder 

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cannon fodder was in 1847

Dictionary Entries Near cannon fodder

Cite this Entry

“Cannon fodder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cannon%20fodder. Accessed 28 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!