damage control

noun

: measures taken to offset or minimize damage to reputation, credibility, or public image caused by a controversial act, remark, or revelation

Examples of damage control in a Sentence

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.
Its foreign-policy team is scrambling with damage control. Daniel Block, The Atlantic, 30 Nov. 2024 Johnson has made attempts at further damage control since his Friday comment, stating after the campaign event that the CHIPS Act is not on the GOP agenda to repeal. Rebecca Picciotto, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2024 Latino activists in Philadelphia and Allentown are mobilizing against Donald Trump after a comedian's bigoted joke about Puerto Rico at his Madison Square Garden rally, while the former president is playing damage control. Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024 The lawyer will deal with damage control, including the press, but all leaks seem to be patched. Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for damage control 

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of damage control was in 1943

Dictionary Entries Near damage control

Cite this Entry

“Damage control.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damage%20control. Accessed 26 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!