cannon fodder

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The team that was set to be Eastern Conference cannon fodder is now in second place, putting the Celtics right where they’re used to being: the thick of a championship race.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

So you are on the side of Mario, not Donkey Kong; the lone gunslinger, not the cannon fodder in the hallways.

From New York Times • Mar. 13, 2023

"We especially want to target the partially mobilised who not only can't fight but are thrown in as cannon fodder," says Vitalii Matviyenko, who heads up the scheme.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2022

“If they need more cannon fodder, that is what they’ll be doing,” he said.

From Washington Times • Nov. 13, 2022

They were never numerous, the planters considered it a risk to use them, some were forced to serve as cannon fodder in the colonial wars, others were shunted off to the frontiers.

From Patrician and Plebeian Or The Origin and Development of the Social Classes of the Old Dominion by Wertenbaker, Thomas Jefferson