collateral damage

noun

Definition of collateral damagenext
as in fatality

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Spirits producers have become collateral damage in the dispute over steel and aluminum. — Rob Gillies, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025 The legacy bipartisan initiative to combat HIV and AIDS in Africa became collateral damage in Trump’s directive to halt U.S. foreign aid, despite efforts to exempt humanitarian assistance and lifesaving medication from the three-month funding freeze. — Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 6 Feb. 2025 Apart from the risk of collateral damage, there are mental health and reputational risks that have significantly broader and longer-lasting consequences. — James Henderson, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025 Trump has discarded decades of American foreign policy orthodoxy, forging ahead in pursuit of new deals with countries like Russia – while other allies like Ukraine are left as collateral damage. — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for collateral damage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collateral damage
  1. fatality
  2. sacrifice
  3. victim
  4. casualty
  5. prey
  6. loss
  7. martyr
Noun
  • The Texas Department of State Health Services reports that there was one fatality in a school-aged child who lived in the outbreak area.
    — Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Their expedition is intended to raise awareness and financial support for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which supports responders and military who sustained life-changing injuries and fatalities.
    — Encinitas Advocate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of fatality
Noun
  • On her podcast, Rose shared her intention to provide insight into the realities of being a wrestler for WWE, pointing to the sacrifices required that come along with the job.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
  • To get Haaland, other sacrifices could be made, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m), who picked up an injury in the Champions League, Palmer and Isak.
    — Abdul Rehman, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of sacrifice
Noun
  • Authorities struggled to identify and process all of the victims.
    — arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Paying ransoms does not guarantee a return to normal business operations, and 35% of victims who paid a ransom, according to the in-house analysis of data, either did not receive decryption keys or received corrupted keys.
    — Davey Winder, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of victim
Noun
  • No casualties were recorded during this intrusion, and no radio station employees were present at the scene.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Other names that made it to Morgan Stanley’s list include timberland real estate investment trust Rayonier , which has a dividend yield of 4%; property casualty insurer RLI , with a dividend yield of 0.8%; and CNA Financial , with a 3.8% current dividend yield.
    — Darla Mercado, CFP®, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of casualty
Noun
  • Lures are used to catch fish in lakes, rivers and streams by mimicking natural prey.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The population would have inhabited a woodland environment with wet grasslands, which would have been rich in prey, the study said.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of prey
Noun
  • Between those losses, Illinois won four straight games in promising fashion: two against Iowa, at then-No. 13 Michigan and against then-No. 18 Purdue.
    — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
  • During the losing streak there have been competitive losses to elite teams, as well as a home overtime loss to the Knicks two weeks ago before the start of the skid.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of loss
Noun
  • Aside from a series of gruesome martyr scenes frescoed on the interior wall of the second ring in the late 16th century, the decor reflects late Imperial taste for decorous abstraction and costly materials.
    — The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Since then, however, the Trump administration has shifted its stance on Ulbricht’s case—in part, perhaps, due to its embrace of the libertarian cryptocurrency community, for whom Ulbricht has become a martyr and cause célèbre.
    — Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 21 Jan. 2025
Definition of martyr

Browse Nearby Words

collateral
collateral damage
collateral damages
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Collateral damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collateral%20damage. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All