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
The Trump Administration and supporters of similar measures to the latest proposal point to vehicular crashes, including at least three fatal accidents last year, that involved undocumented immigrants.
—
Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 25 Feb. 2026
Overnight Fishing on a Florida Beach Blaine Kenny and Dylan Wier own Coastal Worldwide shark fishing tours, and their jaw-dropping catch at Navarre Beach on Santa Rosa Island, between Pensacola and Destin, Florida, didn’t happen by accident.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2026
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded at 11:55 a.m. to reports of two fatal accidents at the Nevada-side resort.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 24 Feb. 2026
The accident renewed the debate over crossing safety and led to some experimentation in placing impassible barriers at crossings instead of gates.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for accident
Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 25 Feb. 2026
Overnight Fishing on a Florida Beach Blaine Kenny and Dylan Wier own Coastal Worldwide shark fishing tours, and their jaw-dropping catch at Navarre Beach on Santa Rosa Island, between Pensacola and Destin, Florida, didn’t happen by accident.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2026
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded at 11:55 a.m. to reports of two fatal accidents at the Nevada-side resort.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 24 Feb. 2026
The accident renewed the debate over crossing safety and led to some experimentation in placing impassible barriers at crossings instead of gates.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for accident
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accident
Noun
-
Schlossnagle's mustache was a casualty of a late-game implosion by the Texas bullpen against Ole Miss (16-3).—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Mar. 2026
-
There were no reports of casualties.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Explain how luck and random chance are factors in both wins and losses.—
Stephanie Ganz,
Parents,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Chelsea were fortunate to go in at half-time with the scores level at 1-1, needing a bit of luck when a clearance hit goalkeeper Okonkwo and ended up in the Wrexham net.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Rushing through your plans is a recipe for disaster, so avoid attempting to multitask.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The disaster led to an extensive decontamination effort to clean up nuclear material dispersed when conventional explosives in the hydrogen bombs detonated after hitting the ground.—
Kim Tong-Hyung,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This means that even if a fault-tolerant quantum computer becomes available, QPE could still struggle with large molecules because the chance of successfully extracting the correct energy becomes vanishingly small.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The Sooners had a final chance after Acuff missed a second free throw with 10 seconds left.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The bylaws contain categorical exclusions that prevent discretion in certain circumstances while allowing loopholes to be exploited in others.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Durham Constabulary are investigating the circumstances of the incident that led to Huntley's death and a file is being prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration for charges.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In his long non-racing career, there have been a few mishaps.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
At the time of the mishap, some E/A-18 Growlers were transitioning to a new type of software meant to help them to conduct airborne electronic warfare, mostly to protect aircraft carriers from enemy attacks.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Asian Film Awards, an anchor event of Hong Kong’s Entertainment Expo, which usually takes place on the eve of Filmart, has canceled the main awards ceremony, citing the need to be low-key following last year’s Tai Po fire tragedy.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
-
And when the fast-moving vehicles collide, tragedy can ensue.—
Alissa Gary,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Accident.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accident. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
