Words / A2

AKS-id-uh-nt/ˈæksɪdənt/

An accident is something bad that happens by chance: a car accident, a cycling accident. By accident means you did not mean to do it — I deleted the file by accident. Crash is more about vehicles hitting; accident is the wider word. Do not mix it with incident, which is any event, not always a mishap.

Meaning

Something bad that happens by chance, not because someone planned it.

Examples

• “He broke his arm in a cycling accident.”
• “Call an ambulance if there is an accident.”
• “I sent the email to the wrong person by accident.”

Good to know

a car / traffic accident. by accident = not on purpose.

Near in meaning

crash

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