accident

noun

ˈak-sə-dənt How to pronounce accident (audio)
Definition of accidentnext
1
as in casualty
a chance and usually sudden event bringing loss or injury was involved in a minor accident on her way home from work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in luck
the uncertain course of events you shouldn't leave it to accident to decide where you'll be lodging in the course of your trip across the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of accident My first 15 minutes of Brazilian fame were born of a freak accident. — Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2026 The accident destroyed one reactor, leaving the plant with one functioning. — Jennifer McDermott, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 That's the premise of te black comedy Phony, which stars Sam Nivola as teenager Sonny Cooke, who wakes up in the hospital after a car accident, convinced that his mother (Connie Britton) has been replaced by an impostor. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026 The scene with Ricky and Russ at golden hour was the result of an accident. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for accident
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accident
  1. casualty
  2. luck
  3. disaster
  4. chance
  5. catastrophe
  6. circumstance
  7. mishap
  8. tragedy
Noun
  • There were no casualties in the attack, which the officials said damaged the building’s top three floors.
    — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • An investigation is underway, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, without specifying whether the attacks caused any damage or casualties.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of casualty
Noun
  • And, in the case of the continent’s richest man Aliko Dangote, the conflict has proven the old adage that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles star as the down-on-their-luck Dashwood sisters, who are forced to move from their fine family estate into the decidedly more modest Barton Cottage.
    — Nicholas DeRenzo, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of luck
Noun
  • Faizi said ambulances and disaster management personnel arrived from a nearby facility within five minutes of being alerted.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For example, largely because of the environmental disaster that is Weikuang Dam, the country doesn’t permit the development or operation of stand-alone monazite mines—that is, mines where nothing is mined except monazite ore.
    — Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • The loss thwarted Cleveland’s chance at a World Series championship, extending its drought to 78 years.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Afternoon highs on Friday are expected to be a much cooler 57 degrees as a 40% chance of rainfall lingers in the area.
    — Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of chance
Noun
  • In a 2024 interview with TIME, Netanyahu denied making the statement, insisting that the payments were meant to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Information and statistics are flying around, with some groups framing the AI data center boom as a potential environmental catastrophe, while others say concerns are overblown or even fake.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Noun
  • These circumstances, too, create a perception of the world as unpredictable and may lead people to seek escape via alcohol or other drugs.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • That's why the exact circumstances of that particular infection remain unclear.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of circumstance
Noun
  • What begins as a straightforward trip to rehab quickly spirals into a journey packed with mishaps, revelations and unexpected connections, forcing both Lucy and Tim to confront the messy realities of fame, family and recovery.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • There are scores of websites, social-media groups, and YouTube channels dedicated to analyzing and documenting crashes, ostensibly with the goal of preventing future mishaps in flight.
    — Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of mishap
Noun
  • The tragedy is the deadliest among those that have claimed thousands of lives in recent decades as people attempt to cross the border from Mexico.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Those deaths, those tragedies, unimaginable losses, became my win.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of tragedy

Browse Nearby Words

accessory
accident
accidental
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Accident.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accident. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All