Meaning & use
minor accident
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
a small crash or unfortunate event that causes little damage or injury
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a minor accident' or 'two minor accidents'.
Patterns
- have a minor accident
- be involved in a minor accident
She had a minor accident in the parking lot and only scratched the bumper.
The game was delayed after a minor accident on the field.
He was late because of a minor accident on the highway.
Word forms
| plural | minor accidents |
|---|
Common combinations
- have a minor accident
- I had a minor accident on my bike yesterday.
- be involved in a minor accident
- The taxi was involved in a minor accident near the station.
- a minor accident happens
- A minor accident happened during the morning rush hour.
- suffer a minor accident
- The team suffered a minor accident when their bus hit a fence.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fender bender
- Informal and specifically a small car crash; 'minor accident' is more general and can refer to other kinds of small mishaps.
- mishap
- Slightly formal and often used for small accidents that cause inconvenience rather than damage.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: minor accident or minority?
minor accident vs minority
Minority refers to a small group of people, not to something small in size or importance.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'minor accident' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A minor accident causes little damage or injury, so 'her car was not damaged' fits. The first option describes a serious injury, the third a major disaster, and the fourth is illogical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “minor accident”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.