accidentally
adverb
ac·ci·dent·al·ly
ˌak-sə-ˈdent-lē 
-ˈden-tᵊl-ē
-ˈden-tᵊl-ē
: in an accidental or unintended manner : by accident
I accidentally deleted the file.
The lock prevents the gate from opening accidentally.
Six lionfish were accidentally released from a home aquarium in Biscayne Bay, Fla., during Hurricane Andrew in 1992.—
Alcestis Cooky Oberg
Alcestis Cooky ObergThe Olympic test was thrown out after the test lab accidentally destroyed the backup sample … that's required to confirm a positive result.—Christie Aschwanden
Christie AschwandenHe bumped into her accidentally on purpose. [=he bumped into her intentionally but he tried to make it appear to be an accident]
Examples of accidentally in a Sentence
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The 10-parter is produced by Media Res and based on the short story written by Manuel Gonzalez about a man who accidentally shrinks his wife.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
One night, the actor accidentally shot off an email to the wrong recipient.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
The debate comes less than two weeks after the race was shaken up by the revelation that the National Archives accidentally disclosed too much information about Sherrill’s military records to a Ciattarelli ally.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 8 Oct. 2025
The artist, whose real name is Jesús Roberto Laija García, accidentally created the character of Tito Double P by improvising and singing in his unique style during performances in various cities across Mexico.
—Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2025
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Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
One night, the actor accidentally shot off an email to the wrong recipient.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
The debate comes less than two weeks after the race was shaken up by the revelation that the National Archives accidentally disclosed too much information about Sherrill’s military records to a Ciattarelli ally.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 8 Oct. 2025
The artist, whose real name is Jesús Roberto Laija García, accidentally created the character of Tito Double P by improvising and singing in his unique style during performances in various cities across Mexico.
—Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accidentally
Cite this Entry
“Accidentally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accidentally. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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