# accident waiting to happen

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/accident-waiting-to-happen
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A thing or situation which is almost certain to eventually lead to an accident.

## Examples

- That broken ladder is an accident waiting to happen.
- This dark, icy road is an accident waiting to happen.
- Your loose shoelaces are an accident waiting to happen.
- The factory floor was cluttered with loose wires and heavy boxes, making it an accident waiting to happen.
- Leaving your toddler alone in a kitchen full of sharp knives is an accident waiting to happen.
- The busy intersection has no traffic lights or signs, so it is an accident waiting to happen.
- The old bridge has several rusted supports and loose planks, so the engineers warned the city that the structure is an accident waiting to happen.
- By ignoring the structural cracks in the foundation for so many years, the landlord allowed the building to become an accident waiting to happen.

## Origin

The phrase is first recorded in the 1930s. It functions as a routine compound, joining the Middle English *accident*, via Old French from Latin *accidens*, with the present participle of the Middle English *happen*, derived from the noun *hap*.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.