collateral damages

Noun

collateral damage (usually uncountable, plural collateral damages)

1. (euphemistic, usually) Damage to civilian property or civilian casualties that is the unintended result of military operations.
   • A certain amount of collateral damage and destruction to the surrounding environment has always been viewed as a necessary but generally undesirable by-product of military conflict.1999, Dennis L. Soden, The Environmental Presidency, →ISBN, page 237
2. (usually) Harm to innocent people that results from policy decisions.
   • What is missing from this line of reasoning, however, is a frank assessment of the collateral damage caused by supply-side efforts and whether this harm outweighs the unproven positive impact of current programs, which is likely to be marginal at best.2005, Coletta Youngers, Eileen Rosin, Drugs and Democracy in Latin America: The Impact of U.S. Policy, →ISBN, page 339
3. (usually) Unintended victims of an attack targeted at someone or something else.
   • The versatility and specificity of PDT regards dosing and delivery may provide a far superior treatment and management of infection than antibiotics and minimize the risk of developing resistance as well as collateral damage to host bacteria.2008, Michael R. Hamblin, Advances in Photodynamic Therapy, →ISBN, page 294