accident

Meanings

1. An unexpected event, often unpleasant, that causes harm or damage.
2. Something that happens by chance, without a plan.

Example sentences

• "The two cars were involved in a minor accident on the highway."

  Level A2, Meaning 1

• "I broke the cup by accident."

  Level A1, Meaning 2

• "He had an accident on his bike and hurt his arm."

  Level A1, Meaning 1

• "It was no accident that she arrived early."

  Level B1, Meaning 2

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• incident : An incident is any event, often a small one. An accident is an unplanned event that usually causes harm or damage.
• mistake : A mistake is something done wrongly. An accident may not be anyone's fault.

Word family and forms

Forms: accidents

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "accident".

• a car accident
• by accident
• have an accident
• a serious accident
• an accident at work
• accident and emergency

Idioms and phrases

by accident

Without planning it.

"I left my phone at home by accident."

Origin

Accident comes from Latin accidens, the present participle of accidere, which meant to happen or to befall. The Latin verb is built from ad, meaning to, and cadere, to fall, so an accident is something that falls upon you. English had the word by the late 1300s, by way of Old French.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Accident has a hidden dent. A car that has an accident often gets a dent.

Test yourself

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