friendly fire
Americannoun
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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 (opposed to hostile fire).
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(in military combat) fire, as by artillery, by one's own forces, especially when causing damage near or casualties to one's own troops.
noun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
Earlier this month, three F-15s were shot down in "an apparent friendly fire incident" over Kuwait, officials said.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
The incident was not due to hostile or friendly fire according to Central Command.
From Salon • Mar. 13, 2026
Separately in Kuwait, the US confirmed three fighter jets were downed after what it described as an incident of "friendly fire" on Monday.
From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026
I didn’t want to hear it if she did, but I wasn’t eager to leave the lighted room where my family sat around the friendly fire.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
