Meaning & use
body counts
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“body counts” is a form of “body count”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
The number of people killed in a particular event, battle, or period of time.
Grammar: Countable: say 'a body count' for one total and 'body counts' for several.
Patterns
- the body count from something
- a rising body count
- the official body count
The official body count from the earthquake rose to more than three thousand.
Reporters argued over the body counts released by both sides of the conflict.
As the body counts grew, public support for the war began to fall.
nouncountable
The number of dead people found or counted after an accident, disaster, or attack.
Grammar: Often used with 'the' when the total is already known to both speakers.
Patterns
- the body count after something
- put the body count at a number
- a body count of a number
Officials put the body count at twelve after the factory fire.
Rescue teams worked through the night, and the body count kept climbing.
The final body count was lower than early reports had suggested.
Word forms
| singular | body count |
|---|
Common combinations
- the death toll
- The death toll from the flood reached two hundred.
- a rising body count
- The general was criticized for a rising body count among civilians.
- put the body count at
- Police put the body count at nine.
- the official body count
- The official body count was released a week later.
- body count rises
- Every day the body count rises, and families wait for news.
Synonyms and how they differ
- death toll
- The usual neutral term in news reports; it is more common than 'body count' for disasters and epidemics.
- casualty figure
- Used especially in military contexts and can include the wounded as well as the dead, so it is not always the same number.
- losses
- A softer, often military word for people killed or wounded; it hides the exact number rather than stating it.
Word family
- body bag noun
- A large bag used to carry a dead person.
- count verb
- To say numbers in order or to find the total of a group.
Commonly confused: body counts or casualty? body counts or toll?
body counts vs casualty
A casualty is anyone hurt, killed, or lost in an event, while a body count refers only to the dead.
body counts vs toll
A toll is a total number of deaths or the cost of damage; it is usually used in the fixed phrase 'death toll' rather than with 'body'.
Practice
The newspaper reported that the ___ from the battle had reached over four hundred.
Choose one answer.
The singular 'body count' fits because the sentence talks about one total from one battle. 'Body counts' would need a plural subject or several separate events, and 'bodies count' changes the meaning to 'bodies matter'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “body counts”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.