damage control

American  

noun

1. a department or group, as aboard a naval vessel, responsible for taking action to control damage caused by fire, collision, etc.

2. any efforts, as by a company, to curtail losses, counteract unfavorable publicity, etc.

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damage control Idioms  

1. Measures to minimize or curtail loss or harm. For example, As soon as they discovered the leak to the press, the senator's office worked night and day on damage control. Used literally since the 1950s, specifically for limiting the effect of an accident on a ship, this term began to be used figuratively in the 1970s.

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Other Word Forms

• damage-control
  adjective

Example Sentences

Now, the legal drama continues as Costco attempts to do damage control — even going so far as to ask that one of the lawsuits be dismissed.

From Salon • Jun. 17, 2026

Is there any damage control that can be done?

From Slate • May 7, 2026

The fire prompted a major damage control response, with sailors working for hours to contain the blaze and ensure it had not spread to other parts of the ship, officials said.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

In the days after OpenAI signed its contract with the Pentagon, the company went into damage control mode.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

In private Oval Office meetings, Nixon, Bob Haldeman, and John Ehrlichman discussed options for damage control.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin