"by accident" meaning in English

See by accident in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

Forms: more by accident [comparative], most by accident [superlative]
Head templates: {{en-adj}} by accident (comparative more by accident, superlative most by accident)
  1. Accidental; as the result of some unforeseen happening or series of events; unexpected; resulting from an event without the foresight, expectation, aid, or design of the person by whose agency it was caused; unintentional. Synonyms: causeless, incidental, unintended, accidental
    Sense id: en-by_accident-en-adj-aeuBj1vS Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 34 40 23 3 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 35 40 22 3

Adverb

Forms: more by accident [comparative], most by accident [superlative]
Head templates: {{en-adv}} by accident (comparative more by accident, superlative most by accident)
  1. Accidentally; unintentionally; without meaning to; as the result of an event not expected, aided, or willingly planned. Related terms: on accident, on purpose
    Sense id: en-by_accident-en-adv-f~xCZerU Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 34 40 23 3 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 35 40 22 3 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 33 43 22 1
  2. As the result of some undesigned, unintended, unrelated, natural, or random occurrence; as the unexpected and unforeseen result of formerly unrelated factors.
    Sense id: en-by_accident-en-adv-X2q9Q0Z5 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 34 40 23 3 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 35 40 22 3
  3. By chance; unexpectedly; as the result of an unrelated series of events.
    Sense id: en-by_accident-en-adv-x6BjJRjo
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more by accident",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most by accident",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "by accident (comparative more by accident, superlative most by accident)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "34 40 23 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 40 22 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 43 22 1",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Sorry. I knocked over the vase by accident.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Accidentally; unintentionally; without meaning to; as the result of an event not expected, aided, or willingly planned."
      ],
      "id": "en-by_accident-en-adv-f~xCZerU",
      "links": [
        [
          "Accidentally",
          "accidentally"
        ],
        [
          "unintentionally",
          "unintentionally"
        ],
        [
          "expect",
          "expect"
        ],
        [
          "aid",
          "aid"
        ],
        [
          "plan",
          "plan"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "word": "on accident"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "word": "on purpose"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "34 40 23 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 40 22 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The car got totaled by accident; a giant snowdrift fell off the church roof.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "The only way that project still exists today is by accident; I thought we closed it years ago.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "The scholar thinks the quote and the parable were spoken on different occasions and only by accident were brought together here.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "As the result of some undesigned, unintended, unrelated, natural, or random occurrence; as the unexpected and unforeseen result of formerly unrelated factors."
      ],
      "id": "en-by_accident-en-adv-X2q9Q0Z5",
      "links": [
        [
          "unintended",
          "unintended"
        ],
        [
          "unrelated",
          "unrelated"
        ],
        [
          "natural",
          "natural"
        ],
        [
          "random",
          "random"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I hadn't seen her for years, but I ran into her by accident at the store.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "She overheard the information by accident.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "a. 1886, Richard Chenevix Trench, Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident:",
          "text": "Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident: It is the very place God meant for thee.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "By chance; unexpectedly; as the result of an unrelated series of events."
      ],
      "id": "en-by_accident-en-adv-x6BjJRjo",
      "links": [
        [
          "By chance",
          "by chance"
        ],
        [
          "unexpectedly",
          "unexpectedly"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "by accident"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more by accident",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most by accident",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "by accident (comparative more by accident, superlative most by accident)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "34 40 23 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 40 22 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The victim's death was by accident.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "That the injury was by accident is not questioned.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Accidental; as the result of some unforeseen happening or series of events; unexpected; resulting from an event without the foresight, expectation, aid, or design of the person by whose agency it was caused; unintentional."
      ],
      "id": "en-by_accident-en-adj-aeuBj1vS",
      "links": [
        [
          "Accidental",
          "accidental"
        ],
        [
          "unexpected",
          "unexpected"
        ],
        [
          "unintentional",
          "unintentional"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "causeless"
        },
        {
          "word": "incidental"
        },
        {
          "word": "unintended"
        },
        {
          "word": "accidental"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "by accident"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English adverbs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English prepositional phrases",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more by accident",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most by accident",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "by accident (comparative more by accident, superlative most by accident)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "on accident"
    },
    {
      "word": "on purpose"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Sorry. I knocked over the vase by accident.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Accidentally; unintentionally; without meaning to; as the result of an event not expected, aided, or willingly planned."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Accidentally",
          "accidentally"
        ],
        [
          "unintentionally",
          "unintentionally"
        ],
        [
          "expect",
          "expect"
        ],
        [
          "aid",
          "aid"
        ],
        [
          "plan",
          "plan"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The car got totaled by accident; a giant snowdrift fell off the church roof.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "The only way that project still exists today is by accident; I thought we closed it years ago.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "The scholar thinks the quote and the parable were spoken on different occasions and only by accident were brought together here.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "As the result of some undesigned, unintended, unrelated, natural, or random occurrence; as the unexpected and unforeseen result of formerly unrelated factors."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "unintended",
          "unintended"
        ],
        [
          "unrelated",
          "unrelated"
        ],
        [
          "natural",
          "natural"
        ],
        [
          "random",
          "random"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I hadn't seen her for years, but I ran into her by accident at the store.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "She overheard the information by accident.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "a. 1886, Richard Chenevix Trench, Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident:",
          "text": "Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident: It is the very place God meant for thee.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "By chance; unexpectedly; as the result of an unrelated series of events."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "By chance",
          "by chance"
        ],
        [
          "unexpectedly",
          "unexpectedly"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "by accident"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English adverbs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English prepositional phrases",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more by accident",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most by accident",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "by accident (comparative more by accident, superlative most by accident)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The victim's death was by accident.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "That the injury was by accident is not questioned.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Accidental; as the result of some unforeseen happening or series of events; unexpected; resulting from an event without the foresight, expectation, aid, or design of the person by whose agency it was caused; unintentional."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Accidental",
          "accidental"
        ],
        [
          "unexpected",
          "unexpected"
        ],
        [
          "unintentional",
          "unintentional"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "causeless"
    },
    {
      "word": "incidental"
    },
    {
      "word": "unintended"
    },
    {
      "word": "accidental"
    }
  ],
  "word": "by accident"
}

Download raw JSONL data for by accident meaning in English (3.7kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.