noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈɪn.sɪ.dəns/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Nueva JerseyRecorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
homophone: incidents (some accents)
CMU ARPABET:IH1 N S AH0 D AH0 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:IH1 N S IH0 D AH0 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The act of something happening; occurrence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The extent or the relative frequency of something happening.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The manner of falling; bearing or onus, as of a tax that falls unequally.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The striking of radiation or a projectile upon a surface.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A measure of the rate of new occurrence of a given medical condition in a population within a specified period of time.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: epidemiology, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
The falling of a point on a line, or a line on a plane.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: geometry, mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
The relation between an edge of a graph and one of the vertices it connects.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: graph-theory, mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
the striking of a light beam on a surface
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he measured the angle of incidence of the reflected light
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: optical phenomenon
9
noun
Meaning 9
the relative frequency of occurrence of something
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: relative incidence
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: frequency, relative frequency
Narrower terms: morbidity
History
Etymology
From Middle French incidence, from Medieval Latin incidentia (“a falling upon”), from Latin incidens, present participle of incidere (“to fall upon”), from in (“on”) + cadere (“to fall”).
Across languages
Translations
28 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
случване
(slučvane)
— act of something happening
Finnish:
tapahtuma
— act of something happening
Finnish:
tapaus
— act of something happening
German:
Auftreten
— act of something happening
German:
Vorkommen
— act of something happening
Hebrew:
מקרה
(mikré)
— act of something happening
Hungarian:
előfordulás
— act of something happening
Spanish:
incidencia
— act of something happening
Finnish:
esiintymistiheys
— extent, or the relative frequency of something happening
German:
Auftretenshäufigkeit
— extent, or the relative frequency of something happening
Hebrew:
מידה
(midá)
— extent, or the relative frequency of something happening
Russian:
инциде́нтность
(incidéntnostʹ)
— extent, or the relative frequency of something happening
Swedish:
incidens
— extent, or the relative frequency of something happening
Finnish:
kohdistuminen
— manner of falling; bearing or onus, as of a tax
Bulgarian:
падане
(padane)
— striking of radiation or a projectile upon a surface
Esperanto:
alfalo
— striking of radiation or a projectile upon a surface
Finnish:
kohtaaminen
— striking of radiation or a projectile upon a surface
Finnish:
kohdistuminen
— striking of radiation or a projectile upon a surface
Finnish:
osuminen
— striking of radiation or a projectile upon a surface
Irish:
ionsaitheacht
— striking of radiation or a projectile upon a surface
Russian:
паде́ние
(padénije)
— striking of radiation or a projectile upon a surface
Chinese Mandarin:
發病率 /发病率
(fābìnglǜ)
— epidemiology: measure of the rate of new occurrence of a given medical condition
Chinese Mandarin:
發生率 /发生率
(fāshēnglǜ)
— epidemiology: measure of the rate of new occurrence of a given medical condition
Danish:
incidens
— epidemiology: measure of the rate of new occurrence of a given medical condition
Finnish:
ilmaantuvuus
— epidemiology: measure of the rate of new occurrence of a given medical condition
German:
Inzidenz
— epidemiology: measure of the rate of new occurrence of a given medical condition
Kazakh:
аурушаңдық
(auruşañdyq)
— epidemiology: measure of the rate of new occurrence of a given medical condition
Finnish:
kuuluminen
— geometry: falling of a point on a line, or a line on a plane