casualty
noun
ca·su·al·ty
ˈka-zhəl-tē 
ˈkazh-wəl-,
ˈka-zhə-wəl-
plural casualties
1
a
: a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action
The army sustained heavy casualties.
b
: a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed : victim
the ex-senator was a casualty of the last election
2
: serious or fatal accident : disaster
losses from fire, storm, or other casualty—
J. S. Seidman
J. S. SeidmanExamples of casualty in a Sentence
a low number of casualties
the real casualties in the war against drugs are millions of innocent children
Recent Examples on the Web
Vulnerable regions include those with infrequent but intense seismic activity and limited enforcement of building codes, increasing the risk of structural collapse and widespread casualties.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Thanks to disaster movies of the past, we've been trained to expect at least our hero to make it to the other side, even if there are casualties along the way or the world order requires rebuilding.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
When a single nuclear missile is launched at Chicago from an unknown source, the president and his cabinet need to decide how to respond in a way that prevents further casualties.
—PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
But those missiles aren’t nearly as precise as drones and could cause many civilian casualties.
—Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for casualty
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Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Thanks to disaster movies of the past, we've been trained to expect at least our hero to make it to the other side, even if there are casualties along the way or the world order requires rebuilding.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
When a single nuclear missile is launched at Chicago from an unknown source, the president and his cabinet need to decide how to respond in a way that prevents further casualties.
—PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
But those missiles aren’t nearly as precise as drones and could cause many civilian casualties.
—Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for casualty
Cite this Entry
“Casualty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/casualty. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
casualty
noun
ca·su·al·ty
ˈkazh-əl-tē
ˈkazh-(ə-)wəl-
plural casualties
1
: a serious or fatal accident : disaster
2
a
: a military person lost (as by death or capture) during warfare
b
: a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed
Medical Definition
casualty
noun
ca·su·al·ty
ˈkazh-əl-tē, ˈkazh-(ə-)wəl-
plural casualties
1
: a serious or fatal accident
2
: a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action
3
a
: injury or death from accident
b
: one injured or killed (as by accident)
Legal Definition
casualty
noun
ca·su·al·ty
ˈka-zhəl-tē, ˈka-zhə-wəl-
plural casualties
1
: an unfortunate occurrence
especially
: a serious and often disastrous accident
conversion of property…arising from fire, storm, shipwreck, or other casualty —Internal Revenue Code
Internal Revenue Code 2
: something lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed see also casualty gain at gain, casualty loss at loss
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