casualty

noun

ca·su·al·ty ˈka-zhəl-tē

ˈkazh-wəl-,

ˈka-zhə-wəl-

plural casualties

Synonyms of casualty

: a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action

The army sustained heavy casualties.

: a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed : victim

The ex-senator was a casualty of the last election.

: serious or fatal accident : disaster

Losses from fire, storm, or other casualty …—J. S. Seidman

archaic : chance, fortune

… losses that befall them by mere casualty …—Sir Walter Raleigh

Examples 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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

No reliable figures are available for battlefield casualties in the war. — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 As rescue teams continue working through the debris in Kyiv, officials warn that the final casualty figures may still rise. — Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 2 July 2026 Most of the casualties were identified through documents but three bodies remained unidentified. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 Though future plans for the property have not been confirmed, some locals see the loss of Boss Hog as another casualty of expansion. — Evan Moore july 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for casualty

Word History

Etymology

see casual entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler

The first known use of casualty was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Casualty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/casualty. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

casualty

noun

ca·su·al·ty ˈkazh-əl-tē

ˈkazh-(ə-)wəl-

plural casualties

: a serious or fatal accident : disaster

: a military person lost (as by death or capture) during warfare

: a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed

Medical Definition

casualty

noun

ca·su·al·ty ˈkazh-əl-tē, ˈkazh-(ə-)wəl-

plural casualties

: a serious or fatal accident

: a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action

: injury or death from accident

: one injured or killed (as by accident)

Legal Definition

casualty

noun

ca·su·al·ty ˈka-zhəl-tē, ˈka-zhə-wəl-

plural casualties

: an unfortunate occurrence

especially : a serious and often disastrous accident

conversion of property…arising from fire, storm, shipwreck, or other casualty —Internal Revenue Code

: something lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed see also casualty gain at gain, casualty loss at loss

casualty

noun

Synonyms of casualty

Examples of casualty in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

Legal Definition

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