accident
accident
ac·ci·dent
/ˈæksədənt/ noun , pl -dents [ count ]
1 : a sudden event (such as a crash) that is not planned or intended and that causes damage or injury
We got in a car accident. = We had a car accident.
a traffic accident
a fatal accident
a motorcycle accident
He was injured in an accident at work.
The accident happened when her car slid on a patch of ice.
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the accident.
“I'm sorry that I broke the bowl.” “That's OK. It was just an accident.” = “That's OK. Accidents will happen.”
◇ An accident waiting to happen is a person or thing that is dangerous or unsafe.
My brother is the clumsiest person I know. He's just an accident waiting to happen.
2 : an event that is not planned or intended : an event that occurs by chance
Their meeting was an accident.
It is just an accident that they arrived when they did.
She says that her pregnancy was an accident.
His wealth is a mere accident of birth. [=he is wealthy only because he was born into a wealthy family]
He says that no one is to blame for his illness. It was just an accident of nature. [=something that happened naturally]
It is no accident that the assistant he hired is so good-looking. [=he deliberately chose a good-looking person to be his assistant]
by accident
: in a way that is not planned or intended
They met by accident. [=by chance]
She says that she became pregnant by accident. [=unintentionally]
Scientists discovered the vaccine almost/quite/entirely by accident.
Did it happen by accident [=accidentally] or by design?
