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 Large companies can spread that risk across many people; at a small business, one serious illness or accident can quickly raise costs. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026 To many people, freak accidents like these understandably look a little funny, even fantastical. — Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 24 Oct. 2026 An accident broke the linearity of his career and reoriented it toward art. — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026 Friday, Idaho State Police were responding to a single-vehicle accident on State Highway 55 that was holding up traffic on the north-south connector between the Treasure Valley and the popular getaway. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 23 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
  • Overnight, Russia struck energy and civilian targets across Ukraine, resulting in at least one casualty, according to local media reports.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The drills include amphibious landing, air and missile defense and mine sweeping, as well as intelligence gathering, logistics and resupply and casualty evacuation on several remote islands, including Tanegashima.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of casualty
Noun
  • The prince didn’t have any luck in blocking Kelce, which comes as little surprise given the Chiefs star knows how to avoid defensive players.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Halloween fireballs Our last pick is going to take a great deal of patience, and a good amount of luck!
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of luck
Noun
  • Residents, meanwhile, can give firefighters the best shot at stopping a potential disaster by clearing flammable vegetation in their yards and fire-hardening their homes.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The goal, ultimately, is not to eat our way out of an ecological disaster.
    — Victoria Malloy, Time, 21 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
  • Without an authoritative accounting, Eisenkot argues, the country cannot fully reckon with the catastrophe.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Retreating Iraqi forces set fire to hundreds of oil wells in Kuwait creating an environmental catastrophe felt throughout the Gulf.
    — Paula Hancocks, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Noun
  • Her physical absence changes nothing about the circumstances of our friendship.
    — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Although landing a roster spot at a major college is a noteworthy achievement under any circumstances, Bryan faces steep odds.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of circumstance
Noun
  • A shot of her long, beautiful gams reveals no hint of a boot or injury so it may have been filmed before her mystery mishap.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Working with the era's primitive technology, Margaret thought through the various mishaps that could occur on a spaceflight and designed the software to handle every contingency.
    — Dean Robbins, Space.com, 18 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 28 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 grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All