friendly fire

noun

: the firing of weapons from one's own forces or those of an ally especially when resulting in the accidental death or injury of one's own personnel

Near the river bordering our camp I find the tents of the four soldiers who were supposedly hit by friendly fire.

—Janine Di Giovanni

After all, accidental attacks, though tragic, are common in war. In 1967 alone, "friendly fire" killed 5,373 Americans fighting in Vietnam.

—Michael Oren

Examples of friendly fire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It was reported that the language barrier had led to a misunderstanding in which Chechen soldiers fighting for Russia were killed in friendly fire. —Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024

In one friendly fire incident, the GUR said confused North Korean troops opened fire on Chechen vehicles, killing eight fighters. —David Brennan, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2024

Hardcore Mode Variant Matches with limited HUD, friendly fire enabled, and significantly lowered health. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

In May 2020, the Konarak, a support vessel, was hit by a missile during an exercise, killing 19 sailors in a friendly fire incident. —David Faris, Newsweek, 10 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above