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
Stef proves to be a loyal pal to Andy, often taunting her about accidentally kissing Mikey instead of Brand.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 7 June 2025
All except one were deemed to have drowned accidentally.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025
Then the plot departs from reality and descends into macabre humor, with Cole accidentally pushing the old lady down the stairs, killing her.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
Saget died in 2022 from head trauma after accidentally hitting his head in a Grande Lakes, Florida hotel room.
—Mekishana Pierre Published, EW.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for accidentally
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Lisa Stardust, People.com, 7 June 2025
All except one were deemed to have drowned accidentally.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025
Then the plot departs from reality and descends into macabre humor, with Cole accidentally pushing the old lady down the stairs, killing her.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
Saget died in 2022 from head trauma after accidentally hitting his head in a Grande Lakes, Florida hotel room.
—Mekishana Pierre Published, EW.com, 6 June 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 12 Jun. 2025.
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