collateral damage: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal / Academic / Journalistic
Quick answer
What does “collateral damage” mean?
Unintended death, injury, or destruction inflicted on people or objects not directly targeted in a military operation or conflict.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Unintended death, injury, or destruction inflicted on people or objects not directly targeted in a military operation or conflict.
Any unintended negative or harmful consequences that occur alongside the main, intended action, particularly when pursuing a specific goal in contexts like business, policy, or personal action.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or spelling. It is equally understood and used in political, military, and journalistic contexts in both regions.
Connotations
Universally understood as a euphemism for unintended harm, with a slightly technocratic, sanitizing tone.
Frequency
Comparatively high frequency in news reports, political analysis, and academic writing in both varieties. Slightly more frequent in American media due to US military prominence.
Grammar
How to Use “collateral damage” in a Sentence
[Verb] + collateral damagecollateral damage + [Preposition] (to/of)[Adjective] + collateral damageVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “collateral damage” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The operation risked collateral damaging nearby residential areas.
American English
- The new regulations are collateral damaging small businesses.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
The layoffs were the collateral damage of the company's aggressive restructuring plan.
Academic
The policy was critiqued for its high social collateral damage, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities.
Everyday
When I renovated the kitchen, the collateral damage was a huge pile of dust throughout the entire house.
Technical
The algorithm's optimization for speed resulted in significant collateral damage to data accuracy.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “collateral damage”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “collateral damage”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “collateral damage”
- Using it to describe *intended* minor negative effects. The harm must be *unintended* and *incidental*.
- Overusing it in casual contexts where simpler terms like 'side effects' would be more natural.
- Misspelling as 'colateral damage'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While its origin is military, it is now widely used metaphorically in business, politics, medicine, and everyday contexts to describe any significant unintended negative consequence of an action.
It can be. When referring to human casualties, especially in non-military contexts, it is often seen as a cold, bureaucratic euphemism that dehumanizes victims. Its use requires careful consideration of tone and audience.
No, by definition it refers to damage, harm, or negative consequences. Any positive unintended results would be called 'serendipity', 'a bonus', or 'a positive side effect'.
'Collateral damage' refers to harm inflicted on non-combatants or neutral parties/objects. 'Friendly fire' refers to unintentional harm inflicted on one's own or allied forces.
Unintended death, injury, or destruction inflicted on people or objects not directly targeted in a military operation or conflict.
Collateral damage is usually formal / academic / journalistic in register.
Collateral damage: in British English it is pronounced /kəˌlæt.ər.əl ˈdæm.ɪdʒ/, and in American English it is pronounced /kəˌlæt̬.ɚ.əl ˈdæm.ɪdʒ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “acceptable losses”
- “friendly fire”
- “in the crossfire”
- “the fog of war”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a COLLISION (sounds like 'collateral') that DAMAGES something next to the main target. The harm spills over to the side.
Conceptual Metaphor
PURSUING A GOAL IS A MILITARY CAMPAIGN (where harm is 'damage' and unintended victims are 'collateral').
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'collateral damage' used CORRECTLY?