collateral damage

American  

noun

1. the killing of civilians in a military attack.

2. any damage incidental to an activity.

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collateral damage British  

noun

1. military unintentional damage to civil property and civilian casualties, caused by military operations

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Etymology

Origin of collateral damage

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

collateral damage

Too often a car crash involves collateral damage to other vehicles or bystanders.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

But collateral damage can add up for the unlikely people stuck in lengthy, fruitless job searches, analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The North American trading bloc’s competitiveness could end up as collateral damage if the extended delay slows investment plans, says Grace Fan, head of global policy at TS Lombard.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

At the time, Greenspan told MarketWatch that the biggest challenge facing the central bank was unwinding its enormous postcrisis balance sheet while causing minimal collateral damage to financial markets.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

I felt immediately sorry Dadi had become collateral damage; I’ve never spoken to her that way.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon