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

Apart from the risk of collateral damage, there are mental health and reputational risks that have significantly broader and longer-lasting consequences. —James Henderson, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025

Trump has discarded decades of American foreign policy orthodoxy, forging ahead in pursuit of new deals with countries like Russia – while other allies like Ukraine are left as collateral damage. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2025

The collateral damages range from having to halt vital services, like providing HIV treatment, to closing doors. —Avery Lotz, Axios, 25 Feb. 2025

The collateral damage to Maryland’s counties, small-town economies, its rural communities, and most importantly, its farming lands, will be enormous. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for collateral damage

• ramage
• samaj