accident
an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss; casualty; mishap: automobile accidents.
Law. such a happening resulting in injury that is in no way the fault of the injured person for which compensation or indemnity is legally sought.
any event that happens unexpectedly, without a deliberate plan or cause.
chance; fortune; luck: I was there by accident.
a fortuitous circumstance, quality, or characteristic: an accident of birth.
Philosophy. any entity or event contingent upon the existence of something else.
Geology. a surface irregularity, usually on a small scale, the reason for which is not apparent.
Origin of accident
1Other words for accident
Opposites for accident
Other words from accident
- post·ac·ci·dent, adjective
Words that may be confused with accident
- accident , Occident
Words Nearby accident
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use accident in a sentence
Father Joel Román Salazar died in a car crash in 2013; his death was ruled an accident, but the suspicion of foul play persists.
The accident rate in Asia has marred what was in 2014 a banner year for aviation safety.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501 | Clive Irving | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTLalo insisted during a recent interview that they encountered Chito “and his people by accident.”
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro | Bill Conroy | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIf there are 162 confirmed deaths from Flight 8501, this would make 2014 the worst year for accident deaths since 2005.
What conflicts do exist between them derive from misunderstanding and accident.
My father, who was a professional cricketer, was smashed up by an accident, and I had three horrible years in employment in shops.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) WellsLady Maude advanced; she had really come in by accident; her head was bent, her eyelashes rested on her flushed cheeks.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood“Of course we know it, sir,” rejoined Fogg, slapping his pocket—perhaps by accident.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles DickensThe violent shock dazed Malcolm for a second, but all might yet have been well were it not for an unavoidable accident.
The Red Year | Louis TracyAn accident occurred on the Panama rail road, recently put in operation, by which 43 persons were killed, and 60 wounded.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell
British Dictionary definitions for accident
/ (ˈæksɪdənt) /
an unforeseen event or one without an apparent cause
anything that occurs unintentionally or by chance; chance; fortune: I met him by accident
a misfortune or mishap, esp one causing injury or death
Also called: adjunct logic philosophy a nonessential attribute or characteristic of something (as opposed to substance)
metaphysics a property as contrasted with the substance in which it inheres
geology a surface irregularity in a natural formation, esp in a rock formation or a river system
Origin of accident
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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