collateral damage

NOUN

unintentional damage to non-military people or property during war

Synonyms

WEAK

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.

“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

"It's not just the medical damage, but the collateral damage for relationships and families that is far greater than people have ever really thought to examine," she adds.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

Driving Indian officials is a fear that the world’s most populous country could become collateral damage in the AI race.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

This targeted approach allows the immune system to remove threats efficiently while minimizing collateral damage to nearby tissue.

From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 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