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
While trying to save the Arconia from being sold, Charles and Oliver accidentally end up in couples therapy.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Most people don’t accidentally stumble into building a multimillion-dollar empire.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 22 Oct. 2025
While wild game roadkill are allowed to be picked up and taken home to eat, some animals accidentally killed by a motor vehicle first require state notification, a license and other steps.
—Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Oct. 2025
The film, which tells the story of a 1980s teen who accidentally hops in a time machine and zooms back to 1955, first premiered in summer 1985.
—Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2025
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Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Most people don’t accidentally stumble into building a multimillion-dollar empire.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 22 Oct. 2025
While wild game roadkill are allowed to be picked up and taken home to eat, some animals accidentally killed by a motor vehicle first require state notification, a license and other steps.
—Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Oct. 2025
The film, which tells the story of a 1980s teen who accidentally hops in a time machine and zooms back to 1955, first premiered in summer 1985.
—Charlotte Observer, 21 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 23 Oct. 2025.
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