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

"The collateral damage from such strikes could also have a serious impact on the Russian economy, as well as a psychological effect on Russian society and, likely, on continued support for the war."

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

But the gain in energy stocks appeared relatively muted when compared with moves seen in other sectors that investors believed could suffer collateral damage.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

“With the yen funding a substantial volume of cross-currency positions, a more aggressive tightening path than markets currently anticipate carries the potential to inflict significant collateral damage well beyond Japan’s borders.”

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

But the collateral damage of this era of narrowed learning is far harder to measure and will be recognized, if at all, only years into the future.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove