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

Derived Forms

• damage-control
  adjective

Example Sentences

"It was a hush email," and "an effort to damage control," says one worker - while another says it made her "furious".

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Is there any damage control that can be done?

From Slate • May 7, 2026

Whittlesey said he suspects that the combination of flood-control requirements and damage control after the pipe failure is likely costing them tens of thousands of acre-feet of snowmelt.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

The Navy acknowledged the reports of toilet problems in a statement last month, but cited ship leadership as saying that "clog incidents are addressed promptly by trained damage control and engineering personnel, with minimal downtime."

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Going into damage control, CBS announced its regret that a few listeners who had heard only parts of the program “mistook fantasy for fact.”

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow