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V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary


collateral

noun, adjective

Definition: (n.) 1. a security pledged for the repayment of a loan; 2. accompaniment to something else (as in: collateral damage); (adj.) 1. serving as an addition to support or corroborate; 2. running side by side (as in: collateral ridges of mountains); 3. descendent from the same ancestor

Synonyms: (n.) security, guarantee, insurance, confirmation, substantiation, validation, (adj.) parallel, additional, accompanying, connected, dependent, indirect, side-by-side

Antonyms: (adj.) unrelated, independent

Tips: In business, the term collateral is often used when referring to marketing or publicity materials, as in "marketing collateral piece." This refers to additional marketing support items. In war, collateral damage refers to destruction of non military targets--damage that was not intended, but occurred due to proximity to the intended target. In banking, collateral refers to an asset that you list on your loan as security against a default on the loan.

Usage Examples:

This brochure is one of the best collateral pieces we’ve ever designed, and I’m sure it will generate many sales for the client. (accompanying, additional) adjective

Lisa put her car up as collateral when she applied for a small business loan. (security, guarantee) noun

The US Military carefully planned each attack so as to avoid any collateral damage. (additional, accompanying, indirect) adjective

Our collateral marketing and sales efforts have proven successful. (parallel, side-by-side, connected) adjective


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