casualty
Americannoun
-
Military.
-
a member of the armed forces lost to service through death, wounds, sickness, capture, or because their whereabouts or condition cannot be determined.
-
casualties, loss in numerical strength through any cause, as death, wounds, sickness, capture, or desertion.
-
-
one who is injured or killed in an accident.
There were no casualties in the traffic accident.
-
any person, group, thing, etc., that is harmed or destroyed as a result of some act or event.
Their house was a casualty of the fire.
-
a serious accident, especially one involving bodily injury or death.
noun
-
a serviceman who is killed, wounded, captured, or missing as a result of enemy action
-
a person who is injured or killed in an accident
-
a hospital department in which victims of accidents, violence, etc, are treated
-
anything that is lost, damaged, or destroyed as the result of an accident, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of casualty
First recorded in 1375–1425; casual + -ty 2; replacing late Middle English casuelte, equivalent to casuel ( casual ) + -te -ty 2
Explanation
In wartime, you'll hear the word casualty used often for someone killed or injured. But casualty can also refer to deaths or injuries suffered in an accident or some other unfortunate event. The term "casualties of war" has been around for a while and refers to the ugly downside of military victory. Anyone who loses life or limb, either in the fighting or as a civilian, is called a casualty. You can also use this word figuratively: if a local elementary school loses funding for their art classes and after-school activities, you can say that the students are casualties of budget cuts.
Vocabulary lists containing casualty
The Things They Carried
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The American Civil War
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
A Long Way Gone
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Property and casualty insurer Safepoint Holdings also should crack the billion-dollar market cap threshold, too, with plans to sell 16.7 million shares in a range of $15 to $17.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
The company reinsures both property and casualty and life and health insurance policies, and does business in more than 20 countries.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel responded to a call of a mass casualty event around 9:30 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
Now it looks like Doug Beattie is about to become the first high profile casualty.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
Citra went to bed early that night, before supper, because her appetite was a casualty of the day.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
