INDEX:
1. at work, at home, when doing a sport etc
2. in a car, train, plane etc
3. to have an accident
RELATED WORDS
by accident or not deliberately : ↑ ACCIDENTALLY
see also
↑ DISASTER
↑ MISTAKE
↑ DAMAGE
↑ DESTROY
↑ BREAK
↑ KILL
↑ HURT/INJURE
↑ PAIN
↑ FALL
↑ DRIVE
↑ RECOVER
↑ UNCONSCIOUS
◆◆◆
1. at work, at home, when doing a sport etc
▷ accident /ˈæksɪd ə nt, ˈæksəd ə nt/ [countable noun]
▪ She has been in almost constant pain since her accident.
have an accident
▪ Robert had an accident in the lab. He was opening a bottle of acid and he spilt some on his hands.
serious accident
▪ Most serious accidents in the home involve electrical equipment or hot liquids.
fatal accident
▪ The number of fatal accidents in the construction industry has dropped dramatically in recent years.
climbing/riding/skiing etc accident
▪ His best friend was killed in a skiing accident.
▷ mishap /ˈmɪshæp/ [countable noun]
an accident that does not have very serious results, especially one caused by someone making a mistake :
▪ We managed to reach our destination, despite one or two mishaps earlier on in the day.
minor/slight mishap
▪ Josh had just had a slight mishap with the breadknife, and was trying to find a Band-Aid.
2. in a car, train, plane etc
▷ accident /ˈæksɪd ə nt, ˈæksəd ə nt/ [countable noun]
▪ The accident happened on Interstate 84, during the evening rush hour.
▪ Brussels airport was closed today after an accident on the runway.
have an accident
▪ Teenage boys tend to drive wildly and often have accidents.
bad/nasty/serious accident
▪ As usual, the fog and icy roads had led to several very nasty accidents.
fatal accident
▪ Men have twice as many fatal accidents as women do for every mile they drive.
car/road/traffic accident
▪ Both her parents had been killed in a car accident.
auto/automobile accident
American
▪ She was in an automobile accident, but she’s not seriously hurt.
▷ crash /kræʃ/ [countable noun]
an accident in which a vehicle or plane hits something violently and is damaged or destroyed :
▪ Ira Louvin was killed in a crash in Montana that also took the lives of six other people.
car/plane/train crash
▪ Her husband died in a plane crash in 1981.
▷ wreck /rek/ [countable noun] American
an accident involving cars or other vehicles :
▪ Nobody could have survived the wreck.
▷ pile-up /ˈpaɪl ʌp/ [countable noun]
a serious road accident in which many cars or other vehicles crash into each other :
▪ The pile-up happened in thick fog and caused a seven-mile tailback on the motorway.
multiple pile-up
British a pile up involving a large number of cars
▪ a multiple pile-up involving a minibus and five cars
▷ disaster /dɪˈzɑːstəʳǁdɪˈzæs-/ [countable noun]
a very serious accident involving a train, plane, or ship, in which many people are killed :
▪ The city has emergency plans for dealing with a major disaster such as a rail crash.
air/rail disaster
▪ At least 264 people died, in one of the worst civilian air disasters of all time.
the Lockerbie disaster/the Challenger disaster etc
▪ The Challenger disaster cost the lives of seven astronauts, and set back the nation’s space program for years.
▷ collision /kəˈlɪʒ ə n/ [countable noun]
an accident in which two or more vehicles, planes, or ships hit each other :
collision with
▪ A school bus has been involved in a collision with a fuel tanker.
mid-air collision
between two planes in the air
▪ The risk of a mid-air collision over central London has increased dramatically.
head-on collision
between two vehicles moving directly towards each other
▪ These airbags are designed to protect car drivers in head-on collisions.
3. to have an accident
▷ have an accident /ˌhæv ən ˈæksə̇d ə nt/ [verb phrase not in progressive or passive]
▪ You shouldn’t go so fast on that motorcycle, you’ll have an accident!
▪ Jack’s had an accident at school! They’ve taken him to the hospital.
▷ crash /kræʃ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to have a serious accident in a car, train, plane etc by violently hitting another vehicle or something such as a wall or the ground :
▪ He lost control of his car at the first bend and crashed.
▪ The plane crashed shortly after take-off.
crash into/onto
▪ The bus crashed into an embankment before bursting into flames.
crash a car/bike/plane etc
▪ Rick crashed his bike before he’d finished paying for it.
▷ be involved in an accident /biː ɪnˌvɒlvd ɪn ən ˈæksə̇d ə ntǁ -ˌvɑːlvd-/ [verb phrase] formal
to have an accident - used in official written documents and in news reports :
▪ If you are involved in an accident, wearing a seat belt will halve the risk of death.
▪ Stolen cars are more likely to be involved in accidents.