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
The heirloom is incredibly precious to the family, Gilbert told 10 WJAR, so when it was accidentally donated to a local thrift store, Gilbert resolved to track it down at all costs.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
When the mind of a bilingual child mirrors absurd translations, their poetic misinterpretations can accidentally produce multiple meanings — and create puns.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 15 Dec. 2025
The 1986 film Stand By Me follows four boys who, after hearing that someone was accidentally killed near their rural Oregon home, go on a journey to find the dead body.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
One person is dead after a U-Haul truck appears to have accidentally exploded in a parking lot in Idaho early Saturday, according to officials.
—Matthew Fuhrman, ABC News, 13 Dec. 2025
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Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
When the mind of a bilingual child mirrors absurd translations, their poetic misinterpretations can accidentally produce multiple meanings — and create puns.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 15 Dec. 2025
The 1986 film Stand By Me follows four boys who, after hearing that someone was accidentally killed near their rural Oregon home, go on a journey to find the dead body.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
One person is dead after a U-Haul truck appears to have accidentally exploded in a parking lot in Idaho early Saturday, according to officials.
—Matthew Fuhrman, ABC News, 13 Dec. 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 20 Dec. 2025.
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