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Synonyms

body count

American  

noun

  1. the number of soldiers killed in a specific period or in a particular military action.

    The daily body count increased as the war went on.

Etymology

Origin of body count

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

Safety regulators and investigators are alarmed by the mounting body count associated with what is believed to be a relatively small number of air bags with DTN parts, people familiar with the situation said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

She arrived for breakfast looking elegant in a black-and-white caftan, the picture of an Upper West Side matron, a matron without a sizable body count.

From New York Times • Nov. 29, 2024

Officials said the body count could change further as efforts to identify the bodies go on.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2023

The cult hit starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer ultimately was about women saving themselves … albeit with a body count.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2023

Walowick and Monaco made jokes about the body count, but they ended when Captain Stewart told us that afternoon that we were going out again.

From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers

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.