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.
Remember, the Revolutionary Guard was founded to provide cannon fodder during the Iraq-Iran War.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
“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
In Moscow, news agency AFP reported witnessing one demonstrator shouting "we are not cannon fodder" as she was arrested by officers.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2022
Armed with a swagger stick and my patriotic rosette I went out into Tottenham Court Road in quest of cannon fodder.
From Over the Top by Arthur Guy Empey
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.
