accident Hear it!

accident Definition

ac·ci·dent (ak′sə dənt)

noun

  1. a happening that is not expected, foreseen, or intended
  2. an unpleasant and unintended happening, sometimes resulting from negligence, that results in injury, loss, damage, etc.
  3. fortune; chance to meet by accident
  4. an attribute or quality that is not essential
  5. Geog., Geol. an irregular formation
  6. Law an unforeseen event that occurs without anyone's fault or negligence

Etymology: ME < OFr < L accidens, prp. of accidere, to fall upon, happen < ad-, to + cadere, to fall: see case

accident Synonyms

accident

n.

  1. An unexpected misfortune

    mishap, mischance, setback, collision; see collision 1, disaster, misfortune 2.

  2. Chance, or a chance happening

    fortune, chance, luck, adventure, contingency, occurrence, happening, circumstance, turn, unforeseen occurrence, fortuity, event, occasion, befalling, fluke*; see also chance 1.

accident Law Definition

n

  1. An unintended, unforeseen, and undesirable event, especially one that causes harm, injury, damage, or loss.
  2. An unintended and unexpected event, especially one that is undesirable or harmful, that does not occur in the usual course of events under the circumstances in which it occurred, or that would not be reasonably anticipated.
  3. In equity, an unexpected and injurious event not caused by misconduct, mistake, or negligence.
  4. In many automobile insurance policies, any unintentional event including those caused by misconduct, mistake, or negligence.
unavoidable accident
An accident that is not caused by the negligence or other fault of anyone involved.

accident Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • prevent: Vehicles at work These pages are here to help you prevent vehicle accidents at work.
  • suffer: The ILO estimates 250 million people globally suffer a work-related accident each year and 3,000 workers are killed daily.

Adjective modifier

  • fatal: The first fatal motor accident in Redbourn was near The Chequers in 1908.
  • tragic: My daughter, in her mid 30's, recently lost her husband to a tragic accident.
  • serious: I had to come here several years ago for physio following a serious bicycle accident.
  • horrific: What is the connection between an old copy of Mary Shelley's Frankenstien and a horrific car accident?
  • work-related: Way to work-related accidents both loan remains the it sound too.
  • unfortunate: Similarly, when a human controller screws up and causes a train collision, we consider this an unfortunate accident.

Modifies a noun

  • blackspots: These new ones work on average speed over a certain distance, and so are completely useless for accident blackspots.
  • compensation: We can provide free and without obligation legal advice, and explain what making an accident compensation claim could mean for you.
  • prevention: The study focuses on accident prevention in children, especially in under-fives.
  • blackspot: Work on the accident blackspot is expected to take three or four weeks.
  • claim: Are you unsure whether you can make an accident claim, or how to go about it.. .
  • victim: Some time later, an ambulance was bringing an accident victim into the hospital.

Noun used with modifier

  • traffic: Do you know about my sister, whose husband died in a traffic accident, leaving her with three children?
  • motorcycle: To bringing all a motorcycle accident to film this.
  • road: The road accident rate is far higher than here.
  • freak: In a freak accident in February 1940, Leonard broke his neck.
  • automobile: Both children were killed in an automobile accident in 1913.
  • car: At least their son wouldn't be in a car accident on his way home.