accidentally
adverb
ac·ci·dent·al·ly
ˌak-sə-ˈdent-lē 
-ˈden-tᵊl-ē
-ˈden-tᵊl-ē
: in an accidental or unintended manner : by accident
I accidentally deleted the file.
The lock prevents the gate from opening accidentally.
Six lionfish were accidentally released from a home aquarium in Biscayne Bay, Fla., during Hurricane Andrew in 1992.—
Alcestis Cooky Oberg
Alcestis Cooky ObergThe Olympic test was thrown out after the test lab accidentally destroyed the backup sample … that's required to confirm a positive result.—Christie Aschwanden
Christie AschwandenHe bumped into her accidentally on purpose. [=he bumped into her intentionally but he tried to make it appear to be an accident]
Examples of accidentally in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Randy Johnson once accidentally exploded a bird with his fastball.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
This strategy may have unintended consequences, such as accidentally doubling up or avoiding certain countries, which could have a huge impact on your total return.
—Garth Friesen, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
In other words, voters didn’t accidentally stumble into supporting term limits.
—Jovani Patterson, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2026
Potentially valuable pieces—including vintage rings, bracelets, brooches, and chains—are either donated or accidentally discarded, so be on the lookout.
—Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for accidentally
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Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
This strategy may have unintended consequences, such as accidentally doubling up or avoiding certain countries, which could have a huge impact on your total return.
—Garth Friesen, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
In other words, voters didn’t accidentally stumble into supporting term limits.
—Jovani Patterson, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2026
Potentially valuable pieces—including vintage rings, bracelets, brooches, and chains—are either donated or accidentally discarded, so be on the lookout.
—Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for accidentally
Cite this Entry
“Accidentally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accidentally. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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