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.

Mr. Spitz, the author of well-received studies of Bob Dylan, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, has a clear-eyed view of the band: the business, the spectacle, the collateral damage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

It classifies any collateral damage as an attack.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Godzilla is a creature of thoughtless collateral damage.

From Salon • Mar. 20, 2026

But the collateral damage of this era of narrowed learning is far harder to measure and will be recognized, if at all, only years into the future.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

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