body count: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Medium to HighInformal, Technical/Journalistic (in its core meaning), Slang (in its extended meaning)
Quick answer
What does “body count” mean?
The number of people killed in a particular violent incident, war, or period of conflict.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The number of people killed in a particular violent incident, war, or period of conflict.
It can also refer to the number of sexual partners someone has had, used informally, often in a boastful or objectifying manner, particularly in youth slang.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Core meaning is identical. The slang usage (sexual partners) originated in and remains more prevalent in American English, though it is understood in the UK via media influence.
Connotations
Equally morbid and stark in its core meaning. The slang use is generally viewed as crude and disrespectful in both varieties.
Frequency
Core meaning is common in news reports in both regions. Slang usage is more frequent in American casual speech, particularly among younger demographics.
Grammar
How to Use “body count” in a Sentence
The (adjective) body count rose to (number).Officials are struggling to establish an accurate body count.He boasted about his body count.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “body count” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- N/A as a verb
American English
- N/A as a verb
adverb
British English
- N/A as an adverb
American English
- N/A as an adverb
adjective
British English
- N/A as an adjective
American English
- N/A as an adjective
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used. Potentially in a morbid metaphorical sense for project failures.
Academic
Used in historical, military, or sociological studies discussing conflict statistics.
Everyday
Used in discussing news of accidents, attacks, or natural disasters. Slang use in very informal settings among some groups.
Technical
Used in journalism, military reporting, forensic investigations, and disaster response management.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “body count”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “body count”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “body count”
- Using 'body account' (incorrect). Using the slang meaning in formal or sensitive contexts. Treating it as a verb (to body count).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Its core meaning is standard in journalism and technical reporting, but it is not a euphemism; it is direct and grim. Its slang usage is decidedly informal and vulgar.
No, it is exclusively a noun phrase. You cannot 'body count' something.
They are largely synonymous. 'Body count' can imply a more immediate, physical tally of recovered bodies, often in a military context, while 'death toll' is broader and more common for disasters and epidemics. 'Body count' also has the modern slang meaning.
It metaphorically equates sexual activity with violence and death (counting 'bodies'), objectifies people, and is often used in a misogynistic context to quantify conquests, reducing intimate relationships to numerical scores.
The number of people killed in a particular violent incident, war, or period of conflict.
Body count: in British English it is pronounced /ˈbɒdi ˌkaʊnt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈbɑːdi ˌkaʊnt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “The body count is still climbing.”
- “Add another one to the body count.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a COUNTry after a battle, counting BODies on the field = BODY COUNT.
Conceptual Metaphor
PEOPLE ARE NUMBERS (in its core, dehumanising sense). SEXUAL CONQUEST IS WAR/VOLENCE (in its slang sense).
Practice
Quiz
In modern informal slang, 'body count' can also refer to: