collateral damage

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of collateral damage Michele, who beat Rachel soundly, is collateral damage, demoted to third place (and, notably, one point away from a three-way first-place tie). Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025 The Iranian government might receive a limited boost in its popular support after U.S. attacks, but depending on their severity, targeting scope, and any unintended collateral damage, average Iranians might also see in them an opportunity to pressure the regime to change. Richard Nephew, Foreign Affairs, 2 Jan. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for collateral damage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collateral damage
Noun
  • His death marks the second fatality in Department of Correction custody this year.
    Elizabeth Keogh, New York Daily News, 25 Feb. 2025
  • According to the 2020 Indiana Domestic Violence Fatality Review Report, the most recent report available, 72% — or 66 out of 91 — of the domestic violence fatalities for that year in Indiana were due to firearms.
    Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Through vivid imagination, the boy walks alongside Jesus, witnessing His miracles, facing His trials, and understanding His ultimate sacrifice.
    Jack Dunn, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025
  • Their sacrifices remind us that doing what is right is never in vain, even when the path forward is unclear.
    Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 16 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The term has been applied to other groups as well: Teachers, health care workers, government officials and public safety professionals may encounter mandates that threaten to compromise their values, witness morally repugnant behavior or become a victim of somebody else’s transgression.
    Christina Caron, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
  • The two boys have become the most recognizable victims of the October 7 terror attacks.
    Mick Krever, CNN, 20 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Meanwhile, both sides have been reluctant to provide specific casualty figures.
    Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 21 Feb. 2025
  • No one was reported injured or killed, although the Russian military does not often disclose casualty figures.
    Kim Barker, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • For animals like dogs, cats, and monkeys, ear movement helps track sounds, which is crucial for detecting predators or prey.
    Clarissa Brincat, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Both types of bass are highly efficient apex predators that hunt down baitfish and other prey.
    Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • This causes a permanent loss of motion and increases your risk of fractures.
    Sarah Klein, SELF, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Many of the fringe candidates took losses that knocked them out of the conversation.
    Jim Root, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • In the Shiite Muslim faith, a martyr is the highest expression of honor — harkening back to the beginnings of Shiite Islam with the 7th century killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, in Karbala in what is now Iraq.
    Jane Arraf, NPR, 23 Feb. 2025
  • Boethius, who was executed in 524, is venerated as a saint and martyr in parts of Italy.
    Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Collateral damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collateral%20damage. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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