Yahoo Web Search

Search results

1. Dictionary

   ac·ci·dent

   /ˈaksədnt/

   noun

   • 1. an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury: "he had an accident at the factory" Similar mishapmisfortunemisadventuremischanceunfortunate incidentinjurydisastertragedycatastrophecontretempscalamityblowtroubleproblemdifficultytechnical:casualty
   • ▪ a crash involving road or other vehicles, typically one that causes serious damage or injury: "four people were killed in a car accident" Similar crashcollisionbumpcar crashcar accidentroad accidenttraffic accidentmultiple crashmultiple collisionrail accidentderailmentair accidentair crashsmashroad traffic accidentRTAwreckinformal:smash-uppileupshuntprang
   • ▪ used euphemistically to refer to an incidence of incontinence, typically by a child or an animal: euphemistic "he had a little accident, but I washed his shorts out"
   • 2. an event that happens by chance or that is without apparent or deliberate cause: "the pregnancy was an accident" Similar chancemere chancecoincidencetwist of fatefreakhazardpiece of good fortune(bit of) luck(bit of) good luckflukehappy chanceserendipityfatefortuityfortuneprovidencehappenstance
   • ▪ the working of fortune; chance: "my faith is an accident of birth, not a matter of principled commitment"
   • 3. (in Aristotelian thought) a property of a thing which is not essential to its nature.

   Word Origin late Middle English (in the general sense ‘an event’): via Old French from Latin accident- ‘happening’, from the verb accidere, from ad- ‘towards, to’ + cadere ‘to fall’.

   Scrabble Points: 13

   • A

     1

   • C

     3

   • C

     3

   • I

     1

   • D

     2

   • E

     1

   • N

     1

   • T

     1

   Powered by Oxford Dictionaries

   More definitions, origin and scrabble points