accident

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

n. a crash involving cars, trains, or other vehicles.

n. a collision involving one or more vehicles, typically resulting in mechanical damage or personal injury.

日本語:事故※

“There was a bad accident on the motorway, so traffic is moving very slowly.”

“Emergency services arrived at the scene of the multi-car accident within minutes to treat the injured passengers.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun

n. the way things happen without any plan or cause.

n. the unpredictable element of chance in events; randomness.

日本語:偶然※

“It was just an accident of birth that he was born into a wealthy family.”

“Their meeting in such a remote part of the world was a remarkable accident of timing.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a polite way to say someone accidentally went to the toilet in their clothes.

n. a euphemism for an instance of urinary or faecal incontinence, especially regarding children or the elderly.

“The toddler had a little accident because we couldn't find a bathroom in time.”

“The nursery school teacher kept a spare set of clothes in case any of the children had an accident during the afternoon nap.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Academic · Formal

n. a quality of something that is not its most important part.

n. an attribute or property of a thing that is not essential to its nature or existence.

“The colour of the car is just an accident; its speed is what matters.”

“In Aristotelian logic, the fact that a man is sitting is an accident of his current state, not an essential part of being human.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Science Technical

n. an unusual shape or break in the ground or rocks.

n. an irregular surface feature or a sudden discontinuity in the ground, such as a fault.

“The miners had to stop work when they hit a geological accident in the rock layer.”

“The survey identified several surface accidents that suggested significant tectonic activity in the region's distant past.”