plural incidents
1
: an unexpected and usually unpleasant thing that happens
We just want to put that embarrassing incident behind us.
Two people were shot yesterday in two separate incidents.
Aside from a few isolated incidents, the crowd was well-behaved.
a shooting incident
Many such incidents go unreported.
The suspects were arrested without incident. [=without any unexpected trouble]
2
: an event or disagreement that is likely to cause serious problems in relations between countries
a border incident
The bombing caused/provoked an international incident.
Cite this Entry
“Incident.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/incident. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.
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