accidently
adverb
Paul ChiCharles Dickens
Usage of Accidently
The adverb accidently has been in use since the 18th century. It continues to appear regularly in published writing, but it is far less common than accidentally, and it is sometimes cited as an error.
Examples of accidently in a Sentence
Bridget Alex, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
Hawkeyes star guard Caitlin Clark had a scary moment after the game when she accidently was run into by a fan who was storming the court to celebrate.
—Doug Feinberg, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
The contents accidently spilled onto his young daughter.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2023
In another instance of a child getting a hold of a gun inside a home, a six-year-old was accidently shot in the head by a nine-year-old on Monday afternoon in Jacksonville, Florida.
—Scott Butler, USA TODAY, 15 Aug. 2023
July 11 - Protect Our Constitution, the pro-Issue 1 group, accidently mails outdated absentee ballot applications in a mailing targeting sympathetic Republican voters.
—Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 24 July 2023
Cleveland Guardians May 23 Guardians outfielder accidentally kills bird with second-inning single: ‘An unfortunate sacrifice’ Cleveland Guardians outfielder Will Brennan accidently struck and killed a bird sitting on the infield on a single to the left side of the field.
—Fox News, 9 June 2023
Allan Hammons, president of Hammons and Associates, which manages the Freedom Trail, said a large vehicle like a tractor-trailer likely accidently knocked the marker from its post.
—From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2021
No one was struck by gunfire in the April 15 shooting, but a state prosecutor has ordered an investigation into the incident – the latest in a spate of similar shootings across the nation in which people have accidently turned onto the wrong property or gotten in the wrong vehicle.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'accidently.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near accidently
Cite this Entry
“Accidently.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accidently. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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