collateral damage

noun

1. the killing of civilians in a military attack.
2. any damage incidental to an activity.

collateral damage

noun

1. military unintentional damage to civil property and civilian casualties, caused by military operations

Word History and Origins

Origin of collateral damage¹

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

That this caper results in a staggering amount of collateral damage — I mean, he shoots a lot of innocent people — makes him immediately unlikable, which I don’t think is the point; if anything, there’s some attempt to humanize him, give him some depth.

From Los Angeles Times

“And while the army may have considered them ‘acceptable collateral damage,’ basic moral norms say otherwise.

From Salon

At the time of the coinciding divorce filings, Slater’s ex-wife, singer Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a 2-year-old son, told Page Six, “My family is collateral damage.”

From Los Angeles Times

"Trying to balance the books from the pockets of High Street businesses will simply leave hospitality as collateral damage – threatening jobs, future investment, price increases for consumers, and business viability," she said.

From BBC

“We initially thought this was collateral damage, that we had been false positive detected as spam,” says Shivaun, 55.

From BBC