casualty
casualty — noun
1. someone hurt or killed during a war, a major accident, or a large-scale disaster
someone hurt or killed during a war, a major accident, or a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake or hurricane
The bus driver was the only casualty in the crash on the motorway.
collocation: only casualty / sole casualty
After the earthquake, rescue teams reported more than three hundred casualties.
plural form: casualties for total count
No casualties were reported after the factory explosion was brought under control.
Ravi's grandfather was a casualty of the border conflict that ended decades ago.
A sudden explosion in the market square caused dozens of casualties among the shoppers.
- victim
broader term — applies to crime, bullying, natural disasters; casualty is more specific to accidents and war
- fatality
specifically refers to a death, not just injury; more common in traffic and workplace accident reports
- injured
used as a collective noun ('the injured') rather than a countable noun like casualty
- survivor
a person who lives through an accident or disaster
文法句型
casualty + of + war/accident/disaster
suffer + casualties
cause + casualties
用法筆記
Casualties is often used as a collective plural ('heavy casualties were suffered') rather than referring to named individuals. For a single person who died, fatality is more common in non-military contexts.
常見錯誤
2. a person, organisation, or thing that is harmed, destroyed, or lost as a side ef
a person, organisation, or thing that is harmed, destroyed, or lost as a side effect of a particular event, decision, or change in circumstances
The small bookshops were the main casualties of the large shopping centre opening.
metaphorical use: casualty of [event/change]
Beatriz was one of the casualties of the company's decision to cut four hundred jobs.
Open communication is often the first casualty when a team becomes too competitive.
The historic theatre became a casualty of the city council's latest budget cuts.
During the takeover deal, the company's original brand name was an early casualty.
- beneficiary
someone who gains from a change or event
文法句型
become + a casualty + of + noun phrase
the first + casualty + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Most commonly follows the pattern 'a/the casualty of [change, decision, or event]'. The modifier 'first' appears very frequently ('the first casualty of…'), a fixed expression that learners can treat as a chunk.
常見錯誤
3. the section of a hospital that provides urgent medical care to people who have b
the section of a hospital that provides urgent medical care to people who have been seriously injured in an accident or have become very ill without any warning
Theo was rushed to casualty after he fell from his bicycle and broke his arm.
British phrase: 'to casualty' = to the emergency room
The night-shift nurse has worked in the casualty department for over twelve years.
collocation: casualty department
Casualty was unusually quiet on New Year's Eve, much to the staff's relief.
Patients with minor injuries often wait for hours in a busy casualty ward.
Amara's mother works as a doctor in casualty at a large teaching hospital in Manchester.
- emergency room
American English equivalent — also called ER or emergency department
- A&E
short for Accident and Emergency; the standard term in British hospitals, interchangeable with casualty in everyday speech
文法句型
go to + casualty
in + casualty
the + casualty + department/ward
用法筆記
British English only. In American English the equivalent is the emergency room (ER) or emergency department. Do not use casualty as a countable noun in this sense — 'He was taken to casualty', not 'a casualty'.