Dictionary

accident en · NOUN

Pronunciation

/-dɛnt/ (General-American)
/ˈæk.sɪ.dənt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
/ˈæk.sə.dənt/ (General-American)
/ˈæk.sɪ.dənt/ (General-American)
/ˈæk.sə.dɪnt/ (pin-pen-merger)
(General-American) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *ḱad- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *ḱádeti Proto-Italic *kadō Latin cadō Latin accidō Proto-Indo-European *-onts Latin -ns Latin accidēnslbor. Old French accidentbor. Middle English accident English accident First attested in the late 14th century. From Middle English accident, from Old French accident, from Latin accidēns, present active participle of accidō (“happen”); from ad (“to”) + cadō (“fall”). See cadence, case. In the sense “unintended pregnancy”, first attested in 1932.

Meanings

(countable, uncountable) An unexpected event with negative consequences occurring without the intention of the one suffering the consequences, and (in the strict sense) not directly caused by humans.
- to die by an accident such as an act of God
- Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances, / Of moving accidents by flood and field[…] c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
(countable, uncountable) An unexpected event with negative consequences occurring without the intention of the one suffering the consequences, and (in the strict sense) not directly caused by humans. ▸ casus; such unforeseen, extraordinary, extraneous interference as is out of the range of ordinary calculation.
(countable, uncountable) A collision or crash of a vehicle, aircraft, or other form of transportation that causes damage to the transportation involved; and sometimes injury or death to the transportation's occupants or bystanders in close proximity. (but see Usage notes)
- Five days after the accident on September 4, firefighters responded to reports of a fire near Castaic Lake. They found charred human remains at the scene, not far from where the Toyota Highlander had gone off the road. 2026 July 18, Nicholas Muhoro, “Bryce Laspisa Vanished Near Castaic Lake After Spending 13 Hours Parked on a California Highway”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 19 Jul 2026:
- There was a huge accident on I5 involving 15 automobiles.
- My insurance went up after the second accident in three months.
- Surprisingly, this analysis revealed that acute exposure to solvent vapors at concentrations below those associated with long-term effects appears to increase the risk of a fatal automobile accident. Furthermore, this increase in risk is comparable to the risk of death from leukemia after long-term exposure to benzene, another solvent, which has the well-known property of causing this type of cancer. 2013 July-August, Philip J. Bushnell, “Solvents, Ethanol, Car Crashes & Tolerance”, in American Scientist:
(countable, uncountable) Any chance event.
- He also objects to the idea of women arising by an accident of nature, preferring the notion that they came about as a 'result of some strong mental impression', and so 'the sex of the progeny would have been settled by the decision of the progenitor'. 2008, Celia Deane-Drummond, The Ethics of Nature, page 206:
(uncountable) Chance; random chance.
- c.1861-1863, Richard Chevenix Trench, in 1888, Letters and memorials, Volume 1, Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident, / It is the very place God meant for thee; […]
- And so with his writing, which he proudly said was a perfect counterpart of his life. Accident played a major part in both. 1991 Autumn, Robert M. Adams, “Montaigne”, in American Scholar, volume 60, number 4, page 589:
(countable, uncountable) Any property, fact, or relation that is the result of chance or is nonessential or nonsubstantive.
- Beauty is an accident.
- nor can God effect the transmutation of substances (from accident into substance, or substance into accident, or substance without accident). 2010, T. M. Rudavsky, Maimonides, page 142:
- Nonetheless, those who have no evidence of the impossibility of the transformation of accident into substance believe that it is death itself which will be actually transformed into a ram on the Day of Resurrection and then be slaughtered. 1989, Iysa A. Bello, The medieval Islamic controversy between philosophy and orthodoxy, page 55:
- 14thC, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale in The Canterbury Tales, These cookes how they stamp, and strain, and grind, / And turne substance into accident, / To fulfill all thy likerous talent!
- It would also follow that God ought to be able to transmute genera, converting substance into accident, knowledge into ability, black into white, and sound into smell, just as he can turn the inanimate into animate[…] 2005, Muhammad Ali Khalidi, Medieval Islamic philosophical writings, page 175:
- Lexical gaps are called accidental because their existence is by accident; it is not essential.
- This accident, as I call it, of Athens being situated some miles from the sea, which is rather the consequence of its being a very ancient site,[…] 1883, J. P. Mahaffy, Social life in Greece from Homer to Menander:
- If they went through their growth-crisis in other faiths and other countries, although the essence of the change would be the same[…], its accidents would be different. 1902, William James, “Lecture IX: Conversion”, in The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature […] , New York, N.Y.; London: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 200:
- But as to Man, all the Fruits of the Earth, all sorts of Herbs, Plants and Roots, the Fishes of the Sea, and the Birds of the Air do not suffice him, but he must disguise, vary, and sophisticate, change the substance into accident, that by such irritations as these, Nature might be provoked, and as it were necessitated. 1677, chapter 3, in Heraclitus Christianus: or, the Man of Sorrow, page 14:
(countable, uncountable) Any property, fact, or relation that is the result of chance or is nonessential or nonsubstantive. ▸ A property attached to a word, but not essential to it, such as gender, number, or case.
- An adjective, so called because adjectitious, or added to a substantive, denotes some quality or accident of the substantive to which it is joined […] a 1799, John Parkhurst, A Hebrew and English lexicon without points, page 25
(countable, euphemistic, uncountable) An instance of incontinence.
- We weren’t there long when Karin asked about our dog. When we told her Chris was in the car, she insisted we bring him up to the apartment. I rejected her offer and said he might have an accident on the carpet and I didn’t want to worry about it. 2009, Marcia Stedron, My Roller Coaster Life as an Army Wife, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 56:
(countable, euphemistic, uncountable) An instance of incontinence. ▸ Urine or feces excreted due to incontinence.
(countable, euphemistic, uncountable) An unintended pregnancy.
(countable, derogatory, euphemistic, humorous, uncountable) An unintended pregnancy. ▸ A person born from an unintended pregnancy.
- Taylor was our sweet little accident, and we're so glad!
(countable, obsolete, uncountable) An injury.
- This little manual contains simple directions for the preliminary treatment of accidents to all parts of the body and of such diseases as persons are suddenly seized with. 1880, New York World, quotee, “Accidents and Emergencies (advertisement)”, in School and Industrial Hygiene:
- The grave accidents provoked by iodine usually assume the form of œdema of the glottis. 1892 June, “Practical Hints”, in Merck's Bulletin:
- Accident is a word which too commonly suffers a like perversion. It is used as if it meant a wound. [1880, Richard Grant White, Every-day English:
(countable, uncountable) An irregular surface feature with no apparent cause.
(countable, uncountable) A sudden discontinuity of ground such as fault of great thickness, bed or lentil of unstable ground.
(countable, uncountable) A point or mark which may be retained or omitted in a coat of arms.
(countable, uncountable) Synonym of accidental.

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
accidents	Number=Plur		lexicographic

Synonyms

accidental · casus · accident · accidens · casualty · luck · chance · mishap (unexpected event with negative consequences) · accidens · befalling (unexpected event that takes place without foresight or expectation) · fortune (chance) · fortuity · contingency

Translations (303)

az bədbəxt hadisə (unexpected event with negative consequences) · bg ава́рия (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ti ሃንደበት (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ml അപകടം (unexpected event with negative consequences) · uli aeksedent (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ru случа́йность (property resulting from chance) · fr accident (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ko 우연 (chance) · be ДТЗ (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ml ആകസ്മികം (chance event) · ga taisme (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ru ДТП (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ky авария (unexpected event with negative consequences) · uk зі́ткнення (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · acw حَادِث (unexpected event with negative consequences) · de Unfall (military: unplanned event resulting in injury) · hu baleset (unexpected event with negative consequences) · aa qawwalayla (unexpected event with negative consequences) · da ulykkestilfælde (unexpected event with negative consequences) · eo akcidento (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi sattuma (chance event) · la calamitas (unexpected event with negative consequences) · es accidente (unexpected event with negative consequences) · rm accident (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi kolari (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ru ава́рия (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · sw ajali (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ru несча́стный слу́чай (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ar صُدْفَة (chance) · cmn 事故 (unexpected event with negative consequences) · uk ава́рія (unexpected event with negative consequences) · hu baleset (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · is slys (unexpected event with negative consequences) · is óhapp (unexpected event with negative consequences) · gd tuiteamas (unexpected event with negative consequences) · eu istripu (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · bg ава́рия (unexpected event with negative consequences) · tk betbagtlyk (unexpected event with negative consequences) · id kecelakaan (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ca accident (logic: quality or attribute in distinction from substance) · sh ùdes (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · izh sormus (unexpected event with negative consequences) · be катастро́фа (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ga taisme (chance event) · wa kénte (unexpected event with negative consequences) · gl accidente (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi sattuma (law: unforeseen interference) · tl aksidente (unexpected event with negative consequences) · wa accidint (unexpected event with negative consequences) · nl toeval (chance event) · ar حَادِث (unexpected event with negative consequences) · hi हादसा (unexpected event with negative consequences) · tg сониҳа (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ca accident (unexpected event with negative consequences) · tl sakuna (unexpected event with negative consequences) · cmn 意外 (unexpected event with negative consequences) · cs akcident (property resulting from chance) · he תְּאוּנָה (unexpected event with negative consequences) · hi दुर्घटना (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · be няшча́сны вы́падак (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ug ئاۋارىيە (unexpected event with negative consequences) · id kecelakaan (unexpected event with negative consequences) · mr अपघात (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ja 事故 (unexpected event with negative consequences) · nb ulykkestilfelle (unexpected event with negative consequences) · bg катастро́фа (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · vi tai nạn (unexpected event with negative consequences) · nn ulykke (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · uz baxtsizlik (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi ilmenemismuoto (logic: quality or attribute in distinction from substance) · uz falokat (unexpected event with negative consequences) · acw حَادِث (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · nb ulykke (unexpected event with negative consequences) · sh nèzgoda (unexpected event with negative consequences) · gl accidente (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ca accident (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · bg злополу́ка (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ota بخت (chance event) · ja 偶然 (chance) · ro accident (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ru слу́чай (chance) · cs případek (property resulting from chance) · ms kemalangan (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · nn ulukke (unexpected event with negative consequences) · tt каза (unexpected event with negative consequences) · tg садама (unexpected event with negative consequences) · grc συμφορά (unexpected event with negative consequences) · th รถชน (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ml അപകടം (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · it accidente (unexpected event with negative consequences) · it incidente (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ru слу́чай (chance event) · mk незгода (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ru ава́рия f technical (military: unplanned event resulting in injury) · hi संयोग (chance event) · la temeritās (chance event) · tg фалокат (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ru катастро́фа (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi sattuma (chance) · prs سَانِحَه (unexpected event with negative consequences) · pt sinistro (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · da ulykke (unexpected event with negative consequences) · lt autoįvykis (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · izh vahinko (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ti ሓደጋ (unexpected event with negative consequences) · lv gadījums (unexpected event with negative consequences) · be вы́падак (chance event) · fi onnettomuus (military: unplanned event resulting in injury) · kl ajunaarneq (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi tapaturma (unexpected event with negative consequences) · sl nesreča (unexpected event with negative consequences) · uk ви́падок (unexpected event with negative consequences) · prs حَادِثَه (unexpected event with negative consequences) · el ατύχημα (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi sattuma (property resulting from chance) · eu ezbehar (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ar حَادِث (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · it incidente (unexpected event with negative consequences) · tr trafik kazası (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ps پېښه (unexpected event with negative consequences) · kab amxix (unexpected event with negative consequences) · tk awariýa (unexpected event with negative consequences) · sh нѐсрећа (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ur ناگَہانی (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi lento-onnettomuus (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · nl toevallig (military: unplanned event resulting in injury) · et õnnetus (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ps حادثه (unexpected event with negative consequences) · lt įvykis (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ru ч. п. (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ro accident (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi vahinko (euphemism: unintended pregnancy) · tl disgrasya (unexpected event with negative consequences) · km គ្រោះ (unexpected event with negative consequences) · pl wypadek (unexpected event with negative consequences) · id kesempatan (chance event) · eu istripu (unexpected event with negative consequences) · mi hauata (unexpected event with negative consequences) · be вы́падак (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ang ġelimp (unexpected event with negative consequences) · nds-de Unfall (unexpected event with negative consequences) · da uheld (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ota بخت (chance) · mi aituā (unexpected event with negative consequences) · hi संयोग (chance) · fa-ira حادِثِه (unexpected event with negative consequences) · grc πταῖσμα (unexpected event with negative consequences) · es accidente (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · da ulykke (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · az qəza (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · fi onnettomuus (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · tg авария (unexpected event with negative consequences) · uz tasodif (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi vahinko (chance event) · ar حَادِثَة (unexpected event with negative consequences) · be ава́рыя (unexpected event with negative consequences) · da egenskab (property resulting from chance) · ug ھادىسە (unexpected event with negative consequences) · eo akcidenco (logic: quality or attribute in distinction from substance) · zu ingozi (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ru столкнове́ние (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · fi sattuma (unexpected event with negative consequences) · de Malheur (euphemism: instance of incontinence) · da tilfælde (chance event) · ar صِدْفَة (chance event) · ml ആകസ്മികം (chance) · nb ulykke (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · nn uhell (unexpected event with negative consequences) · nl ongeval (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ota تصادف (chance) · ko 사고 (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · bi bang (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · la temeritās (chance) · ota قضا (unexpected event with negative consequences) · lo ອຸປະຕິເຫດ (unexpected event with negative consequences) · nn ulykke (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ru ава́рия f technical (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fa-ira سانِحِه (unexpected event with negative consequences) · si අනතුර (unexpected event with negative consequences) · da tilfælde (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi turma (unexpected event with negative consequences) · pt acidente (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · prs تَصَادُف (unexpected event with negative consequences) · uk неща́сний ви́падок (military: unplanned event resulting in injury) · uz balo (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ru несча́стье (unexpected event with negative consequences) · hy վթար (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · gd tubaist (unexpected event with negative consequences) · pt acidente (unexpected event with negative consequences) · be ава́рыя (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · am አደጋ (unexpected event with negative consequences) · eo akcidento (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · uk доро́жньо-тра́нспортна приго́да (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · sh у̀дес (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · az qəza (unexpected event with negative consequences) · sh nèsreća (unexpected event with negative consequences) · nl ongeluk (unexpected event with negative consequences) · tr kaza (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ms kemalangan (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ca accident (grammar: property attached to a word) · he תְּאוּנָה (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · cs nehoda (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · el συμβεβηκός (logic: quality or attribute in distinction from substance) · sh нѐзгода (unexpected event with negative consequences) · bg катастро́фа (unexpected event with negative consequences) · tg ҳодиса (unexpected event with negative consequences) · nds-de Tofall (chance event) · uk ДТП (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · sk nehoda (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ota عارضه (unexpected event with negative consequences) · th อุบัติเหตุ (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · cmn 車禍 /车祸 (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · id kebetulan (chance) · bg пътнотра́нспортно произше́ствие (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · pt acidente (chance event) · fi vahinko (euphemism: instance of incontinence) · nb uhell (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · de Zufall (chance event) · fi onnettomuus (unexpected event with negative consequences) · et avarii (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · bn দূর্ঘটনা (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ar صِدْفَة (chance) · fi ilmenemismuoto (philosophy: appearance, manifestation) · kk апат (unexpected event with negative consequences) · tg тасодуф (unexpected event with negative consequences) · vi sự cố (unexpected event with negative consequences) · th อุบัติเหตุรถชน (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · de Unfall (unexpected event with negative consequences) · kk авария (unexpected event with negative consequences) · et õnnetus (military: unplanned event resulting in injury) · nb uhell (unexpected event with negative consequences) · om balaa (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ar صُدْفَة (chance event) · bg инциде́нт (military: unplanned event resulting in injury) · da tilfældighed (unexpected event with negative consequences) · arz حَادْثَة (unexpected event with negative consequences) · yi אַוואַריע (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · nn uhell (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · nn ulukke (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · sq aksident (unexpected event with negative consequences) · uz avariya (unexpected event with negative consequences) · km ចៃដន្យ (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ga taisme (chance) · cs nehoda (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi vahinko (property resulting from chance) · ru несча́стный слу́чай (military: unplanned event resulting in injury) · nb havari (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · yi אַקצידענט (unexpected event with negative consequences) · de Unfall (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · hi दुर्घटना (unexpected event with negative consequences) · de Unfall (euphemism: unintended pregnancy) · fa عرض (philosophy: appearance, manifestation) · fr accident (unexpected event with negative consequences) · mn осол (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ga timpiste (unexpected event with negative consequences) · be даро́жна-тра́нспартнае здарэ́нне (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ar مُصَادَفَة (chance event) · fo vanlukka (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ky кырсык (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fi ilmiasu (philosophy: appearance, manifestation) · nn havari (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · mk несреќа (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ru ДТП (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ur حادِثَہ (unexpected event with negative consequences) · uk ава́рія (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · uk ава́рія (military: unplanned event resulting in injury) · wa accidint (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · da tilfældighed (chance event) · zza ağm (unexpected event with negative consequences) · lt įvykis (unexpected event with negative consequences) · uk ви́падок (chance event) · kk жол-көлік оқиғасы (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · pt acidente (military: unplanned event resulting in injury) · pl wypadek (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · fa-ira تَصادُف (unexpected event with negative consequences) · sw ajali (unexpected event with negative consequences) · uk катастро́фа (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ota تصادف (chance event) · my မတော်တဆမှု (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ka უბედური შემთხვევა (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ja アクシデント (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ko 사고 (unexpected event with negative consequences) · hy դժբախտ պատահար (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ru доро́жно-тра́нспортное происше́ствие (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · th อุบัติเหตุ (unexpected event with negative consequences) · mn аваар (unexpected event with negative consequences) · az avariya (unexpected event with negative consequences) · sv trafikolycka (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · nl ongeval (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · be сутыкне́нне (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · ar عَرَض (philosophy: appearance, manifestation) · ja 事故 (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · sk nehoda (unexpected event with negative consequences) · fo óhapp (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ajp حَادِث (unexpected event with negative consequences) · uk неща́сний ви́падок (unexpected event with negative consequences) · uk ава́рія (unexpected event with negative consequences) · bho दुरघटना (unexpected event with negative consequences) · ru слу́чай (property resulting from chance) · tr kaza (unexpected event with negative consequences) · sv olycka (unexpected event with negative consequences) · lo ອຸບັດເຫດ (transport: unintended event that causes damage) · bi aksidong (transport: unintended event that causes damage)

accident en · ADJ

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Relateds

accident en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms

Antonyms

Coordinates

Deriveds

Descendants

Hypernyms

Hyponyms

Relateds

Synonyms

Translations (303)