casualty

[kazh-oo-uh l-tee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR casualty ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural cas·u·al·ties.

Military.

a member of the armed forces lost to service through death, wounds, sickness, capture, or because his or her 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.

Nearby words

Origin of casualty

1375–1425; casual + -ty²; replacing late Middle English casuelte, equivalent to casuel (see casual) + -te -ty²

Can be confusedcasualty causality

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for casualties

Thankfully there were no casualties—the driver managed to stop the train immediately.
Is Putin Turning to Terrorism in Ukraine?|Anna Nemtsova|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Among the casualties with the most dangerous implications for their future is education.
The Radio Battle to Educate Ebola’s Kids|Abby Haglage|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Add the fighting before that, and the American casualties came to over 62,000.
Blood in the Sand: When James Jones Wrote a Grunt’s View of D-Day|James Jones|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
PKK sources say they suffered no casualties—they insist there was also an artillery bombardment on their bases.
Whose Side Is Turkey On?|Jamie Dettmer|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Iranian news outlets claimed that the attack was carried by ISIS, but no casualties were reported.
Iran Says It’s Under Attack by ISIS|Jassem Al Salami|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While trainmen represent but 20 per cent, of the total number of employes, the casualties among them represent 58 per cent.
The Railroad Question|William Larrabee
The character of the casualties sufficiently indicates the comparative feebleness of the fighting.
Story of the War in South Africa|Captain A. T. Mahan, U.S.N.
The struggle at both points was a fierce one and the casualties were heavy on either side.
The History of the Confederate War, Its Causes and Its Conduct, Volume I (of 2)|George Cary Eggleston
Casualties were not exceptionally heavy, but the strenuous work and perpetual stress of the nerves told on them.
Norman Ten Hundred|A. Stanley Blicq
This affair all but doubled the day's casualties, which now numbered 500.
History of the War in South Africa 1899-1902 v. 1 (of 4)|Sir Frederick Maurice.

British Dictionary definitions for casualties

casualty

noun plural -ties

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for casualties

casualty

early 15c., "chance, accident; incidental charge," from casual (adj.) on model of royalty, penalty, etc. Casuality had some currency 16c.-17c. but is now obsolete. Meaning "losses in numbers from a military or other troop" is from late 15c. Meaning "an individual killed, wounded, or lost in battle" is from 1844.

casualty

noun, plural cas·u·al·ties.

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Origin of casualty

Examples from the Web for casualties

casualty

noun plural -ties

casualty