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
Broughton’s use of bright exterior paints was partly informed by conversations with marine biologists who were concerned that seabirds, such as petrels, might become confused by — or even accidentally strike — white- or gray-colored buildings.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
In an overheated, overcrowded Mallorca, three precarious women accidentally kill a tourist while stealing electricity, then drag two more women into the cover-up.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 25 May 2026
When Yasser, the second son of the eight-member Al Mawla family (of the Mawali tribe), accidentally runs over and kills a man from the rival Jabour tribe, his two sisters, nurse Jawaher and fieldworker Rim are sent off to the Sheik of the other tribe as ritual honor offerings.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 May 2026
Standouts right now include receipt-privacy cases against grocery chains, a data-breach settlement for Xfinity customers and a big Google Assistant privacy payout for people whose smart speakers or phones accidentally recorded them.
—Staff Reports, USA Today, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for accidentally
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Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
In an overheated, overcrowded Mallorca, three precarious women accidentally kill a tourist while stealing electricity, then drag two more women into the cover-up.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 25 May 2026
When Yasser, the second son of the eight-member Al Mawla family (of the Mawali tribe), accidentally runs over and kills a man from the rival Jabour tribe, his two sisters, nurse Jawaher and fieldworker Rim are sent off to the Sheik of the other tribe as ritual honor offerings.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 May 2026
Standouts right now include receipt-privacy cases against grocery chains, a data-breach settlement for Xfinity customers and a big Google Assistant privacy payout for people whose smart speakers or phones accidentally recorded them.
—Staff Reports, USA Today, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for accidentally
Cite this Entry
“Accidentally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accidentally. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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