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
Police previously said Huang and her friend, killed as collateral damage, were shot before they were torched — so thoroughly that Parrilla had to be identified through dental records.
—
Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2025
Khan added that throughout the years, Philadelphia’s Chinatown has been treated as collateral damage for several major development projects, including the Vine Street Expressway, a highway that was completed in 1991 and essentially cut the neighborhood in half.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 14 Jan. 2025
Contrast that with the current perception of American college campuses (and, to an extent, campuses across the wider world) constantly portrayed as rancorous battlegrounds in the culture wars, where dissenting ideas are often collateral damage, as are those promulgating them.
—Shaun Carver, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
For now, the healthcare of tens of millions of Americans hangs in the balance, seemingly collateral damage in a politically and financially infeasible quest.
—Robert Pearl, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
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Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2025
Khan added that throughout the years, Philadelphia’s Chinatown has been treated as collateral damage for several major development projects, including the Vine Street Expressway, a highway that was completed in 1991 and essentially cut the neighborhood in half.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 14 Jan. 2025
Contrast that with the current perception of American college campuses (and, to an extent, campuses across the wider world) constantly portrayed as rancorous battlegrounds in the culture wars, where dissenting ideas are often collateral damage, as are those promulgating them.
—Shaun Carver, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
For now, the healthcare of tens of millions of Americans hangs in the balance, seemingly collateral damage in a politically and financially infeasible quest.
—Robert Pearl, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
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 30 Jan. 2025.
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