(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
An ~ happens when a vehicle hits a person, an object, or another vehicle, causing injury or damage.
She was involved in a serious car ~ last week...
Six passengers were killed in the ~.
N-COUNT
2.
If someone has an ~, something unpleasant happens to them that was not intended, sometimes causing injury or death.
5,000 people die every year because of ~s in the home...
The police say the killing of the young man was an ~.
N-COUNT
3.
If something happens by ~, it happens completely by chance.
She discovered the problem by ~...
= chance
N-VAR: usu by N