Meaning & use
an accident
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountable
a sudden event that causes damage or injury and is not planned
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an accident', 'two accidents'. Often used with 'have' or 'be involved in'.
Patterns
- have an accident
- be involved in an accident
- a car accident
- by accident
She had an accident at work and broke her arm.
There was a serious accident on the highway this morning.
He lost his keys by accident.
phrasecountable
something that happens by chance, without being planned
Grammar: Used in the phrase 'by accident' to mean 'not on purpose'. Contrast with 'on purpose'.
Patterns
- by accident
- quite an accident
I found the café by accident while walking around.
Meeting her was a happy accident.
Common combinations
- have an accident
- Be careful not to have an accident on the ice.
- by accident
- I deleted the file by accident.
- a car accident
- He was late because of a car accident.
- an accident happens
- Most accidents happen at home.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- accidental adjective
- happening by chance or not planned
- accidentally adverb
- in a way that is not planned
Commonly confused: an accident or incident?
an accident vs incident
An incident is any event, often unpleasant, but not necessarily causing damage; an accident always involves unintended harm or damage.
Practice
She broke the glass ___ accident while washing it.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'by accident', meaning not on purpose. 'On' is used in 'on purpose', which means the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “an accident”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.