Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

collateral

[kuh-lat-er-uhl] / kəˈlæt ər əl /
ADJECTIVE
indirect, secondary
Synonyms
STRONGEST
ancillary
STRONG
accessory adjuvant attendant auxiliary complementary concomitant coordinate dependent incident lateral parallel roundabout satellite side sub subordinate subsidiary supporting tributary
WEAK
accompanying added adjunctive appurtenant circuitous coincident concurrent confirmatory corresponding corroborative not lineal related subservient under
Antonyms
STRONG
chief different dissimilar important independent major necessary unrelated
WEAK
direct main primary principal
NOUN
monetary deposit
Synonyms
STRONG
assurance bond endorsement guarantee pledge promise security surety warrant wealth
Antonyms
STRONG
break uncertainty

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.

Wall Street banks lend to private-credit firms, with the loan funds as collateral.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

The clearinghouses hold the collateral on each side of a contract, transferring risk from trading parties to the clearinghouse itself.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

It classifies any collateral damage as an attack.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Investors can place trades on the Hyperliquid decentralized exchange, using cryptocurrency as collateral.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 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

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.