accident
Pluralaccidents
Pluralaccidents
- 1Something bad that happens by chance and is not planned, often a crash that hurts people or damages things.
Like dropping a glass: you didn't mean to, but it happened.
The broken vase was an accident, not something she did on purpose.
He still feels terrible about the accident with the spilled paint.
UsageYou have an accident or get hurt in an accident. By accident means by chance.
Note
- 2An event that happens by luck or chance, not by plan.
Like bumping into a friend you didn't expect to see.
Meeting my old friend at the store was a happy accident.
Finding the lost ring in the sand was a lucky accident.
UsageOften a happy accident or a lucky accident.
Similarcoincidence, fluke, happenstance
Oppositedesign
Note
- 3A polite word for when someone wets or soils themselves, or for the mess this leaves.
The toddler had an accident on the way to the bathroom.
Grandpa had a little accident during the night.
UsagePeople usually say someone had an accident: the toddler had an accident.
Note
- 4
Less common meanings
- 5A pregnancy that was not planned.
Getting pregnant that year was a complete accident.
The pregnancy was an accident, but they were thrilled.
UsageUsually said as was an accident: the pregnancy was an accident.
Note
- 6In law, an unexpected event that no one could reasonably have planned for.
The judge ruled the flood was an accident no one could have prevented.
The court said the earthquake was an accident, so nobody had to pay for the damage.
Note
- 7Used to describe a vehicle, aircraft, or other transport involved in an accident.
Police towed the accident car off the road.
The accident plane was moved to a hangar for inspection.
Note
- 8A feature of something that could change without making it a different thing.
Like a coat someone wears: they can take it off and still be the same person.
In philosophy, size is an accident: big or small, a dog is still a dog.
The color of the chair is an accident, not part of what makes it a chair.
Note
- 9A joking or unkind word for someone whose parents did not plan to have them.
He always jokes that he was an accident.
She teased her little brother for being an accident.
UsageOften said about yourself: I was an accident. Said about someone else, it can hurt.
Note
- 10In grammar, a feature of a word like its gender, number, or case.
- 11In geology, a strange feature on a surface that has no clear cause.
- 12In geology, a sudden break in the ground, like a thick fault or a patch of unstable earth.
- 13In heraldry, a small mark on a coat of arms that can be kept or left out.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of accident apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
It comes from Latin accidere meaning "to happen," made from ad "to" and cadere "fall." It came into English through Old French in the late 1300s.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- Accident derives ultimately from Latin accidere, meaning 'to happen'. en.wiktionary.org
- Accidere is formed from ad 'to' and cadere 'fall'. en.wiktionary.org
- The word entered English through Old French. en.wiktionary.org
- The word is first attested in English in the late 1300s. en.wiktionary.org