collateral damage

injury inflicted on something other than the intended target, such as civilian casualties of a military operation

collateral damage

Unintended damage, injuries, or deaths caused by an action, especially unintended civilian casualties caused by a military operation.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

collateral damage

(Military) military unintentional damage to civil property and civilian casualties, caused by military operations

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

collateral damage

Unintentional or incidental injury or damage to persons or objects that would not be lawful military targets in the circumstances ruling at the time. Such damage is not unlawful so long as it is not excessive in light of the overall military advantage anticipated from the attack.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

collateral damage - (euphemism) inadvertent casualties and destruction inflicted on civilians in the course of military operations

euphemism - an inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh

fatal accident, casualty - an accident that causes someone to die

armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker"

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

He is liable for direct damage both to your chimneys and any collateral damage caused by fall of bricks into garden, etc., etc.

View in context

'Para ma-rekomenda talaga natin kung ano ang gagawin para maiwasan ang collateral damage,' he said.

PNP-IAS chief wants new probe into death of 3-year-old Rizal kid

@Benezrr said, 'The Nigerian tale on Collateral Damage and Another story shows how connected Burna boy is to Fela.'

Nigerians Applaud Storytelling, Lyrics In Burna Boy's Album, 'African Giant'

Earlier, the CHR has expressed the urgent need to probe police and military operations where collateral damage has been stated when innocent victims are killed or seriously injured.

CHR welcomes De la Rosa's apology, reminds officials to uphold the primacy of right to life

Conde added: "Dela Rosa should be reminded that he, too, will answer for his complicity in the slaughter of thousands." Dela Rosa on Thursday said there should be no collateral damage but stressed, "We live in an imperfect world.

HRW: Bato's 'shit happens' remark shows 'uncaring, contemptuous' attitude to drug war victims

Antoons rhetoric movingly goes beyond the argument for the human cost of war to giving agency to things and places that the war consumes as collateral damage.

Sinan Antoon: The Book of Collateral Damage

The operation was handled well, there was no collateral damage and the forces have returned now.

Operation to kill Zakir Musa handled well, no collateral damage to security forces: SP Pani

Ghafoor said: "Two Indian jets were shot down by the PAF." "We had made sure that there shall not be any civilian damage and no collateral damage." One of the planes crashed in Occupied Kashmir while another crashed inside Pakistan, he stated.

Pakistan had no option but to respond: military spokesperson

To say that Nimrah was a collateral damage in the police encounter is to belittle the value of life.

Loss of an innocent life

Later, responding to questions from the audience, he added:In your own nation, your people get concerned about collateral damage so much ndash when you are fighting this kind of warfare, I think you have to accept that collateral damage will happen.

India not above 'drone strikes' in Kashmir, Pak: Army chief

Are deaths from drunken driving merely "collateral damage" to the alcohol industry?

Stewardship, not excess