This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
accident
[ ak-si-duhnt ]
/ ˈæk sɪ dənt /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
OTHER WORDS FOR accident
VIDEO FOR ACCIDENT
Are Accidents Always Bad?
As a teenager, I had this one friend who used to call his kid brother “The Accident” every time he got annoyed with him. Does that mean all accidents aren't bad?
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of accident
OTHER WORDS FROM accident
post·ac·ci·dent, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH accident
accident , OccidentWords nearby accident
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use accident in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for accident
accident
/ (ˈæksɪdənt) /
noun
an unforeseen event or one without an apparent cause
anything that occurs unintentionally or by chance; chance; fortuneI 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
Word Origin for accident
C14: via Old French from Latin accident- chance, happening, from the present participle of accidere to befall, happen, from ad- to + cadere to fall
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012