Showing results for collateral damage. Search instead for collateral+estoppel.

Synonyms

collateral damage

American

noun

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

collateral damage British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of collateral damage

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But they did not want their children to become collateral damage in the labor fight.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

“The fear is that being collateral damage in the war extends into peace, and this is something we wouldn’t accept and need to work against.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

It classifies any collateral damage as an attack.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

They are real human beings and not collateral damage.

From Salon • Mar. 3, 2026

She’s nothing but collateral damage in this whole mess, and it makes me feel some kind of way.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023