accidentally

adverb

ac·ci·dent·al·ly ˌak-sə-ˈdent-lē

-ˈden-tᵊl-ē

Synonyms of accidentally next

: 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

The Olympic test was thrown out after the test lab accidentally destroyed the backup sample … that's required to confirm a positive result.—

Christie Aschwanden

He 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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Even if your pet accidentally stains your carpet, this cleaner easily removes the mess. —

Moriah Mason, Southern Living, 14 Jan. 2025 By separating out the foods, Rice was trying to establish if cross-contact, when an allergen is accidentally transferred from one food to another, had occurred. —

Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025 If someone accidentally drags a chain behind their truck, unknowingly sending sparks into the air, that too can set our hills ablaze. —

Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025 Now, if someone scans data and deliberately decides to delete it or accidentally does so, that’s a different story. —

Lance Eliot, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for accidentally