cannon fodder
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of cannon fodder
First recorded in 1890–95
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.
The team that was set to be Eastern Conference cannon fodder is now in second place, putting the Celtics right where they’re used to being: the thick of a championship race.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
Students in about 90 cities across the country took part in a school strike on 5 December in protest against the move, with some using the slogan "Don't end up as cannon fodder".
From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025
“If they need more cannon fodder, that is what they’ll be doing,” he said.
From Washington Times • Nov. 13, 2022
In 1912, my grandfather fled to the United States to avoid becoming cannon fodder for the army of the czar.
From Washington Post • Sep. 30, 2022
They are cannon fodder; mere pawns in the game of nations, moved about by one who sits in the sun and serves the devil.
From Voices; Birth-Marks; The Man and the Elephant by Holt, Mathew Joseph
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.
