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
Recent Examples on the Web
Two members of the hunting party shot at the buck, accidentally shooting the victim who was in direct line of fire.
—Michael Guise, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
The products were accidentally put in each other's packaging, resulting in undeclared pecan and wheat allergens.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 1 Dec. 2025
Their unlikely bond began in 2016 after Dench accidentally sent Hinton, who was 17 at the time, a text message inviting him over for Thanksgiving.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
People across the United States are taking a closer look at their glass drinking straws after a woman was hospitalized for accidentally swallowing a shard of broken glass.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accidentally
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Michael Guise, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
The products were accidentally put in each other's packaging, resulting in undeclared pecan and wheat allergens.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 1 Dec. 2025
Their unlikely bond began in 2016 after Dench accidentally sent Hinton, who was 17 at the time, a text message inviting him over for Thanksgiving.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
People across the United States are taking a closer look at their glass drinking straws after a woman was hospitalized for accidentally swallowing a shard of broken glass.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 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 4 Dec. 2025.
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