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
The 3-year-old wallaby escaped Monday evening from Lots of Love Farm Animal Sanctuary in Williamstown after someone accidentally left a latch open, according to owner Ron Layden.
—Ross Dimattei, CBS News, 1 Jan. 2026
In 1921, while developing photographs for the visionary French fashion designer Paul Poiret, Man Ray accidentally made a photogram, in which objects are placed directly on photosensitive paper that is then exposed to light, creating a negative impression of the assemblage on the substrate.
—Ara H. Merjian, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
But Nolan, the KCFD battalion chief, said simple precautionary measures can help minimize the risk of accidentally starting a fire.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 1 Jan. 2026
Someone must have put them there accidentally.
—Mary Norris, New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accidentally
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Ross Dimattei, CBS News, 1 Jan. 2026
In 1921, while developing photographs for the visionary French fashion designer Paul Poiret, Man Ray accidentally made a photogram, in which objects are placed directly on photosensitive paper that is then exposed to light, creating a negative impression of the assemblage on the substrate.
—Ara H. Merjian, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
But Nolan, the KCFD battalion chief, said simple precautionary measures can help minimize the risk of accidentally starting a fire.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 1 Jan. 2026
Someone must have put them there accidentally.
—Mary Norris, New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accidentally
Cite this Entry
“Accidentally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accidentally. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.
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