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
The Jordanian Air Force did not express any regret about the collateral damage.
—
Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
While this hardly stopped Combs’s momentum, this event can be viewed as a part of a pattern of collateral damage that Diddy was willing to leave behind on his path to industry dominance.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 31 Oct. 2024
As a result, civil rights protections tied to environmental justice are becoming collateral damage in the broader fight over regulatory authority.
—Monica Sanders, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
But there's not much concern about collateral damage.
—Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for collateral damage 
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.
Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
While this hardly stopped Combs’s momentum, this event can be viewed as a part of a pattern of collateral damage that Diddy was willing to leave behind on his path to industry dominance.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 31 Oct. 2024
As a result, civil rights protections tied to environmental justice are becoming collateral damage in the broader fight over regulatory authority.
—Monica Sanders, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
But there's not much concern about collateral damage.
—Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for collateral damage
Dictionary Entries Near collateral damage
Cite this Entry
“Collateral damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collateral%20damage. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share