friendly fire

American  

noun

1. Insurance. a fire deliberately set and remaining contained, as in a fireplace or boiler, from which any resulting loss cannot be claimed as an insurance liability (hostile fire ).

2. (in military combat) fire, as by artillery, by one's own forces, especially when causing damage near or casualties to one's own troops.

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friendly fire British  

noun

1. military firing by one's own side, esp when it harms one's own personnel

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Example Sentences

They include six aboard a refuelling aircraft that crashed in Iraq, an incident US officials said was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

The US Central Command confirmed it was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

The incident was not due to hostile or friendly fire according to Central Command.

From Salon • Mar. 13, 2026

Separately, three American F-15 jets were downed by apparent friendly fire over Kuwait on Monday, in one of the most significant losses of equipment for the U.S. in the operation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

Other code talkers died in battle before the end of the war, but Harry Tsosie was the only one killed by friendly fire.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac