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
Your older children are likely to be collateral damage in her short-sighted plans.
—
Wendy Hickey, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
The collateral damage has been significant.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
The ministry did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment but said in its public statement that armed forces scouted and secured the area to avoid collateral damage and that the Ecuadoran government investigates any situation related to human rights.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
And the Gulf states continued to suffer collateral damage.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for collateral damage
Wendy Hickey, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
The collateral damage has been significant.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
The ministry did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment but said in its public statement that armed forces scouted and secured the area to avoid collateral damage and that the Ecuadoran government investigates any situation related to human rights.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
And the Gulf states continued to suffer collateral damage.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for collateral damage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collateral damage
Noun
-
The people killed were the latest fatalities among Palestinians in the coastal enclave since an October ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Denver traffic fatalities hit a record high of 93 in 2025, up 16% over the 80 in 2024, and nearly double the 49 in 2017, police data shows.—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Families would leave lights in windows or over doors during battles, such as Verdun, as a sign of hope and remembrance — a tradition that later became a lasting tribute to France’s sacrifice and alliance.—
David Caraccio
April 4,
Sacbee.com,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Still, Roy contends that the two days a month is reasonable given the sacrifices lawyers make to work for the government.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some of the victims had been wearing backpacks equipped with airbags that can help keep people on the surface of an avalanche, but had not pulled the cords to deploy the bags, the report said.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Responding officers discovered that the victim suffered from wounds to his head and body and also found a bloody hammer.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Such shootings have ranged from isolated events between service members to mass casualty events, such as the shooting by an Army psychiatrist at Texas' Ford Hood in 2009 that left 13 people dead.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
In a cash crunch, streaming subscriptions also tend to be casualties, which only bolsters the value of over-the-air TV when Americans are keeping a tight grip on their checkbooks.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This year, the unusually warm weather in March, plant abundance and a healthy amount of prey were early signals to rattlesnakes to begin their activity.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Noise could disrupt the whales’ foraging behavior, while increased global warming — tied to the burning of fossil fuels, including oil and gas — could change where their prey fish live, Kiszka said.—
Tammy Webber,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That’s high praise from one who has coached four Hall of Famers and several more who are destined to be so, but this team broke an eight-year championship drought last season and, despite the loss of superstar Paige Bueckers, didn’t skip a beat this year.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
-
But the four losses to egregious tankers were inexcusable.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The push to elevate Zarutska as a martyr is part of the long backlash to the summer of 2020, after which one online database catalogued thousands of pieces of street art depicting Floyd.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Following the drone strike that killed his relatives, Ghazali had been recording videos of himself and sending them to family in Lebanon, talking about becoming a martyr.—
Jonah Kaplan,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Collateral damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collateral%20damage. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
