friendly fire

noun

: the firing of weapons from one's own forces or those of an ally especially when resulting in the accidental death or injury of one's own personnel

Near the river bordering our camp I find the tents of the four soldiers who were supposedly hit by friendly fire.

—Janine Di Giovanni

After all, accidental attacks, though tragic, are common in war. In 1967 alone, "friendly fire" killed 5,373 Americans fighting in Vietnam.

—Michael Oren

Examples of friendly fire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Autoimmune disorders like lupus or multiple sclerosis are also linked to chronic inflammation as the immune system starts to attack various parts of the body in friendly fire. —Akshay Syal, M.d., NBC News, 4 Mar. 2025

Kirkpatrick declined to comment on whether any officers or bystanders were hit by friendly fire. —Jack Brook The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 11 Jan. 2025

Russia's air force has suffered extensive casualties—both in cases of friendly fire and as a result of Ukrainian forces shooting down Putin's military jets. —Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025

Trump’s January 6 pardons earned him friendly fire, much in the same way that Biden’s acts of clemency toward associates, friends and family, including toward his son Hunter Biden in December, drew attacks from both sides of the aisle. —Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for friendly fire

• acquire
• attire
• bonfire
• campfire
• ceasefire
• conspire
• desire
• enquire
• entire
• greenbrier
• gunfire
• homebuyer