accident
noun (an accident, accidents)
Everyday
- An accident is something bad that happens by chance, often causing harm or damage, like a car crash or a fall. tree →
- An accident is anything that happens without anyone planning it. tree →
- «By accident» means not on purpose. tree →
In the lessons
In safety lessons, most accidents at home happen from falls, burns, cuts and poisoning, and many can be prevented; in an accident, stay calm, get an adult and call the emergency number if someone is badly hurt. In everyday life and friendship, saying «it was an accident» and «sorry» matters; an accident is not the same as doing something on purpose. Phrases: by accident, car accident, have an accident, accident-prone, a happy accident.
Examples
- There was an accident on the motorway. tree →
- I broke the cup by accident. tree →
- Sorry, it was an accident! tree →
- Most accidents happen at home. tree →
- He had a bike accident and hurt his arm. tree →
- Tell an adult straight away if there is an accident. tree →
- Penicillin was discovered by a happy accident. tree →
- Little children sometimes have toilet accidents. tree →
- I know how easily accidents happen. tree →
Note
Countable: an accident (use «an», because it starts with a vowel sound). «By accident» = «accidentally» = not on purpose; opposite: «on purpose» or «deliberately». Spelled with cc: ac-ci-dent.
On Mova
- Trees and pragmatics of «accident» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «accident» in the school dictionary on Mova free.
This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/accident/