incident

1 of 2

noun

in·​ci·​dent ˈin(t)-sə-dənt How to pronounce incident (audio)
-ˌdent
1
a
: an occurrence of an action or situation that is a separate unit of experience : happening
b
: an accompanying minor occurrence or condition : concomitant
2
: an action likely to lead to grave consequences especially in diplomatic matters
a serious border incident
3
: something dependent on or subordinate to something else of greater or principal importance

incident

2 of 2

adjective

1
: occurring or likely to occur especially as a minor consequence or accompaniment
the confusion incident to moving day
2
: dependent on or relating to another thing in law
3
: falling or striking on something
incident light rays
Choose the Right Synonym for incident

occurrence, event, incident, episode, circumstance mean something that happens or takes place.

occurrence may apply to a happening without intent, volition, or plan.

an encounter that was a chance occurrence

event usually implies an occurrence of some importance and frequently one having antecedent cause.

the events following the assassination

incident suggests an occurrence of brief duration or secondary importance.

a minor wartime incident

episode stresses the distinctiveness or apartness of an incident.

a brief romantic episode in a life devoted to work

circumstance implies a specific detail attending an action or event as part of its setting or background.

couldn't recall the exact circumstances

Examples of incident in a Sentence

Noun We just want to put that embarrassing incident behind us. Two people were shot yesterday in two separate incidents. Aside from a few isolated incidents, the crowd was well-behaved. Many such incidents go unreported. The bombing caused an international incident.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The worst incident last year involved a robotaxi running over a woman already hit by a car and dragging her 20 feet. Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 The incident came as one of Alabama’s largest cities, Birmingham, dealt with an apparently separate computer network issue that has caused service issues for days. Sean Lyngaas, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 This 1952-1996 incident notably inspired the movie Erin Brockovich — which starred Julia Roberts. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 The incident serves as a call for the health care industry not only to vastly strengthen its cyber-defenses but also for the establishment of a dedicated regulatory authority to oversee and enforce robust cybersecurity standards. Jonathan Slotkin and David Vawdrey, STAT, 14 Mar. 2024 In an interview with the Journal Sentinel, Evergreen executives said the July 4 incident, although tragic, was not a lapse on the part of management. Journal Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2024 But there have still been several close calls and one deadly incident, according to Paltel. Adam Rasgon, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Kaduna state, which borders the Nigerian capital Abuja to the southwest, has grappled with recurring incidents of kidnappings for ransom by bandits and has witnessed several mass abductions in recent years, including in the district where the LEA Primary and Secondary School is located. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 One of the teens also posed as a police officer to his wife, though the details of the incident have not been released. Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The Department of Energy’s order is effective through 10 a.m. on Christmas Day, and grid operators are to provide detailed reporting to the Energy Department and complete a post-incident special environmental analysis, a department spokesperson said in an email. Dallas News, 24 Dec. 2022 At Black Hat, the researchers argued that this strategy should also be applied to cyber-incident investigations. Kim Key, PCMAG, 11 Aug. 2022 The timing will be miserably co-incident, a rare moment in economic history, the economist’s equivalent of a solar eclipse: higher inflation, higher interest rates, slumping economic output. Gerard Baker, WSJ, 25 July 2022 If a pre-incident crew had ever been assigned to a ski area, this was the first time Lannon had heard of it. Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Sep. 2021 Finally, the modern cloud improves auditing capabilities and provides logs and analytics for any post-incident analysis and compliance. Vipin Jain, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2021 In addition, the panel recommends the City of Aurora overhaul its post-incident review process. Erin Donaghue, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2021 An Oregon Department of Transportation incident response worker was hit by a car while answering a call on the roadway around 7:30 p.m., according to Don Hamilton, an agency spokesman. Everton Bailey Jr., OregonLive.com, 20 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incident.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin incident-, incidens, from Latin, present participle of incidere to fall into, from in- + cadere to fall — more at chance

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of incident was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near incident

Cite this Entry

“Incident.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incident. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

incident

1 of 2 noun
in·​ci·​dent ˈin(t)-səd-ənt How to pronounce incident (audio)
-sə-ˌdent
: an often unimportant happening that may form part of a larger event

incident

2 of 2 adjective
1
2
: falling or striking on something
incident light rays

Medical Definition

incident

adjective
: falling or striking on something
incident light rays
incident radiation

Legal Definition

incident

1 of 2 noun
in·​ci·​dent ˈin-sə-dənt, -ˌdənt How to pronounce incident (audio)
1
: a distinct occurrence or event
an incident of sexual harassment
2
: a subordinate, dependent, or consequential element
the search was a legitimate incident to the arrest
child support and other incidents of divorce

incident

2 of 2 adjective
: having a subordinate or dependent relation to something specified
a search incident to arrest

More from Merriam-Webster on incident

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