cannon fodder

noun

1
: soldiers regarded or treated as expendable in battle
2
: an expendable or exploitable person, group, or thing
celebrities who have become cannon fodder for the tabloids

Examples of cannon fodder in a Sentence

The poorly trained forces are little more than cannon fodder.
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.
Rolling back to the times of the Russian Empire - complete with cavalry and drafting representatives of national minorities as cannon fodder. David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025 That kind of discomfort makes for excellent cannon fodder for the midterms. Philip Elliott, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025 Manzano’s death has captured national and international headlines, which can be cannon fodder for people who like to speculate. Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2025 Still, both of these young queens are looking more and more like cannon fodder. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cannon fodder

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cannon fodder was in 1847

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Cite this Entry

“Cannon fodder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cannon%20fodder. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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