What does accident mean?
An accident is an unforeseen and usually unfortunate event — one that happens without being planned or intended, and which often results in injury, damage, or loss. The word covers everything from minor mishaps, such as spilling coffee, to serious events like car crashes or industrial disasters. It can also describe chance occurrences with no harmful outcome at all: finding money on the street might happen purely by accident. Because it emphasizes absence of intent rather than fault, the word is neutral about who, if anyone, is to blame. Derived from the Latin verb accidere, meaning 'to fall upon' or 'happen', accident entered English through Old French and has carried its core sense of unplanned occurrence since medieval times. Related forms include accidental and accidentally, describing things done unintentionally. Common phrases such as 'by accident', 'traffic accident', and 'accident-prone' show how deeply embedded the word is in everyday language across both British and American English.
nounAn unplanned, unfortunate event that causes damage or injury; more broadly, any event that happens without being planned or intended.
- An unexpected and undesirable event causing injury, damage, or harm.
- An event that happens by chance or without intention; a coincidence.
- (Philosophy) A property or feature not essential to a thing's nature.
"She was delayed by a minor accident on the motorway."
"He broke his wrist in a skiing accident last winter."
"I found the letter quite by accident while cleaning out a drawer."
Regular plural. Used when referring to multiple separate events, as in statistics or reports.
"Most road accidents are caused by driver error."
The word 'accident' comes from the Latin 'accidere' — literally 'to fall toward' — so every accident is, etymologically speaking, something that 'falls out' of what was expected.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of accident
Accident derives from the Latin verb accidere, meaning 'to fall upon, happen, occur', formed from ad- ('toward') plus cadere ('to fall'). It passed into Middle English via Old French around the late medieval period, initially carrying broad senses of chance occurrence and non-essential circumstance. Its modern emphasis on harmful unintended events developed over subsequent centuries. Cognates from the same Latin root cadere include cadence, decadent, and incidence.
Related word forms
How accident is actually used
In everyday British English, 'accident' often refers to road collisions, whereas American usage frequently prefers 'crash' or 'wreck' in that context. The word carries no implication of blame — it denotes lack of intent rather than fault. In formal legal and insurance contexts, 'accident' has precise technical meanings.
Easily confused with accident
An incident is any distinct occurrence (often notable but not necessarily harmful), while an accident specifically implies an unintended and typically harmful event.