Standard Lemma guide

incident

adj · noun · 14 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.

  • /ˈɪnsɪdənt/
  • [ˈɪnsɪdənt] ~ [ˈɪnsɪdn̩t]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH1 N S AH0 D AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Arising as the result of an event, inherent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • No major hazards incident to this job.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Falling on or striking a surface.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

Examples

  • The incident light illuminated the surface.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Coming or happening accidentally; not in the usual course of things; not in connection with the main design; not according to expectation; casual; fortuitous.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Liable to happen; apt to occur; befalling; hence, naturally happening or appertaining.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • 17th century, Richard Milward, "Preface" to Seldeniana the studies incident to his profession

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Dependent upon, or appertaining to, another thing, called the principal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

In a relation of incidence

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

An event or occurrence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • She could not recall the time of the incident.
  • It was an incident that he hoped to forget.
  • The suspect was released without further incident.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: proceeding, affair, befalling, episode, event, goings-on, happening, hap, incident, occasion, occurrence

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A (relatively minor) event that is incidental to, or related to others.

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

9

noun

Meaning 9

An event that causes or may cause an interruption or a crisis, such as a workplace illness or a software error.

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

10

noun

Meaning 10

An event that causes or may cause an interruption or a crisis, such as a workplace illness or a software error.

An event affecting an aircraft, usually a plane crash.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, often, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective

Meaning 11

(sometimes followed by `to') minor or casual or subordinate in significance or nature or occurring as a chance concomitant or consequence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • incidental expenses
  • the road will bring other incidental advantages
  • extra duties incidental to the job
  • labor problems incidental to a rapid expansion
  • confusion incidental to a quick change

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: incidental

Antonyms: none provided

12

adjective

Meaning 12

falling or striking of light rays on something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • incident light

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

a single distinct event

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: happening, occurrence, occurrent, natural event

Narrower terms: cause celebre, infection, contagion, transmission, scene, sideshow

14

noun

Meaning 14

a public disturbance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the police investigated an incident at the bus station

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disturbance, disruption, commotion, flutter, hurly burly, to-do, hoo-ha, hoo-hah, kerfuffle

History

Etymology

Recorded since 1412, from Middle French incident, from Latin incidens, the present active participle of incidō (“to happen, befall”), itself from in- (“on”) + -cidō, the combining form of cadō (“to fall”).

Across languages

Translations

228 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: произтичащ (proiztičašt) — arising as the result of an event
  • Dutch: inherent — arising as the result of an event
  • Finnish: johtuva — arising as the result of an event
  • German: verbunden — arising as the result of an event
  • German: zusammenhängend — arising as the result of an event
  • German: inhärent — arising as the result of an event
  • German: anhaftend — arising as the result of an event
  • German: dazugehörend — arising as the result of an event
  • German: inherent — arising as the result of an event
  • German: folgend — arising as the result of an event
  • German: zugehörig — arising as the result of an event
  • German: gehörend zu — arising as the result of an event
  • Greek: συναφής (synafís) — arising as the result of an event
  • Polish: wynikający — arising as the result of an event
  • Polish: towarzyszący — arising as the result of an event
  • Romanian: incidental — arising as the result of an event
  • Russian: свойственный (svojstvennyj) — arising as the result of an event
  • Ukrainian: власти́вий (vlastývyj) — arising as the result of an event
  • Bulgarian: падащ (padašt) — physics: falling on a surface
  • Dutch: inslaand — physics: falling on a surface
  • Finnish: tuleva — physics: falling on a surface
  • German: einfallend — physics: falling on a surface
  • German: auftreffend — physics: falling on a surface
  • Greek: προσπίπτουσα (prospíptousa) — physics: falling on a surface
  • Greek: προσπίπτων (prospípton) — physics: falling on a surface
  • Irish: ionsaitheach — physics: falling on a surface
  • Polish: padający — physics: falling on a surface
  • Romanian: incident — physics: falling on a surface
  • Russian: падающий (padajuščij) — physics: falling on a surface
  • Slovak: dopadajúci — physics: falling on a surface
  • Ukrainian: па́даючий (pádajučyj) — physics: falling on a surface
  • Bulgarian: случаен (slučaen) — happening accidentally; casual
  • Bulgarian: инцидентен (incidenten) — happening accidentally; casual
  • Finnish: satunnainen — happening accidentally; casual
  • Finnish: kuuluva — liable to happen; naturally happening or appertaining
  • Finnish: asiaankuuluva — liable to happen; naturally happening or appertaining
  • Finnish: asianmukainen — liable to happen; naturally happening or appertaining
  • Arabic: حَادِث (ḥādiṯ) — event or occurrence
  • Arabic: حَادِثَة (ḥādiṯa) — event or occurrence
  • Arabic: وَاقِعَة (wāqiʕa) — event or occurrence
  • Armenian: դեպք (depkʻ) — event or occurrence
  • Armenian: պատահար (patahar) — event or occurrence
  • Armenian: դիպված (dipvac) — event or occurrence
  • Azerbaijani: hadisə — event or occurrence
  • Azerbaijani: macəra — event or occurrence
  • Azerbaijani: vaqiə — event or occurrence
  • Azerbaijani: olay — event or occurrence
  • Bashkir: ваҡиға (vaqiğa) — event or occurrence
  • Bashkir: хәл (xəl) — event or occurrence
  • Bashkir: осраҡ (osraq) — event or occurrence
  • Basque: gertaera — event or occurrence
  • Belarusian: здарэ́нне (zdarénnje) — event or occurrence
  • Belarusian: вы́падак (výpadak) — event or occurrence
  • Belarusian: інцыдэ́нт (incydént) — event or occurrence
  • Bengali: অকু (oku) — event or occurrence
  • Bengali: অকুআত (okuat) — event or occurrence
  • Bulgarian: слу́чка (slúčka) — event or occurrence
  • Bulgarian: инциде́нт (incidént) — event or occurrence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 事件 (shìjiàn) — event or occurrence
  • Czech: událost — event or occurrence
  • Czech: příhoda — event or occurrence
  • Czech: incident — event or occurrence
  • Danish: begivenhed — event or occurrence
  • Dutch: incident — event or occurrence
  • Dutch: voorval — event or occurrence
  • Dutch: episode — event or occurrence
  • Dutch: gebeuren — event or occurrence
  • Dutch: gebeurtenis — event or occurrence
  • Esperanto: okazo — event or occurrence
  • Estonian: vahejuhtum — event or occurrence
  • Finnish: tapaus — event or occurrence
  • Finnish: tapahtuma — event or occurrence
  • French: incident — event or occurrence
  • Georgian: ინციდენტი (incidenṭi) — event or occurrence
  • Georgian: შემთხვევა (šemtxveva) — event or occurrence
  • German: Vorfall — event or occurrence
  • German: Begebenheit — event or occurrence
  • German: Ereignis — event or occurrence
  • German: Geschehnis — event or occurrence
  • German: Vorkommnis — event or occurrence
  • German: Episode — event or occurrence
  • Greek: επεισόδιο (epeisódio) — event or occurrence
  • Greek: περιστατικό (peristatikó) — event or occurrence
  • Hebrew: תַּקְרִית (taqrít) — event or occurrence
  • Hindi: घटना (ghaṭnā) — event or occurrence
  • Icelandic: atburður — event or occurrence
  • Indonesian: insiden — event or occurrence
  • Indonesian: kejadian — event or occurrence
  • Indonesian: peristiwa — event or occurrence
  • Irish: eachtra — event or occurrence
  • Italian: accaduto — event or occurrence
  • Japanese: 事故 (jiko) — event or occurrence
  • Kazakh: оқиға (oqiğa) — event or occurrence
  • Khmer: ឧប្បត្តិហេតុ (ʼupbat haet) — event or occurrence
  • Korean: 사건 (sageon) — event or occurrence
  • Kyrgyz: окуя (okuya) — event or occurrence
  • Macedonian: слу́чка (slúčka) — event or occurrence
  • Macedonian: инциде́нт (incidént) — event or occurrence
  • Mongolian: явдал (javdal) — event or occurrence
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hendelse — event or occurrence
  • Norwegian Bokmål: episode — event or occurrence
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: episode — event or occurrence
  • Persian: واقعه (vâqe'e) — event or occurrence
  • Persian: حادثه (hâdese) — event or occurrence
  • Polish: wydarzenie — event or occurrence
  • Polish: incydent — event or occurrence
  • Polish: zajście — event or occurrence
  • Portuguese: incidente — event or occurrence
  • Punjabi: ਵਕੂਆ (vakūā) — event or occurrence
  • Punjabi: ਘਟਨਾ (ghaṭnā) — event or occurrence
  • Romanian: incident — event or occurrence
  • Romanian: caz — event or occurrence
  • Russian: происше́ствие (proisšéstvije) — event or occurrence
  • Russian: слу́чай (slúčaj) — event or occurrence
  • Russian: инциде́нт (incidént) — event or occurrence
  • Sanskrit: घटना (ghaṭanā) — event or occurrence
  • Scottish Gaelic: tuiteamas — event or occurrence
  • Serbo-Croatian: слу̏ча̄ј — event or occurrence
  • Serbo-Croatian: инцѝдент — event or occurrence
  • Serbo-Croatian: slȕčāj — event or occurrence
  • Serbo-Croatian: incìdent — event or occurrence
  • Slovak: udalosť — event or occurrence
  • Slovak: prípad — event or occurrence
  • Slovak: incident — event or occurrence
  • Lower Sorbian: tšojenje — event or occurrence
  • Spanish: incidente — event or occurrence
  • Swedish: händelse — event or occurrence
  • Swedish: tilldragelse — event or occurrence
  • Tajik: воқеа (voqea) — event or occurrence
  • Tajik: ҳодиса (hodisa) — event or occurrence
  • Tajik: моҷаро (mojaro) — event or occurrence
  • Thai: กรณี (gɔɔ-rá-nii) — event or occurrence
  • Thai: อุบัติการณ์ (ù-bàt-dtì-gaan) — event or occurrence
  • Turkish: olay — event or occurrence
  • Turkish: hadise — event or occurrence
  • Ukrainian: ви́падок (výpadok) — event or occurrence
  • Ukrainian: інциде́нт (incydént) — event or occurrence
  • Uyghur: ۋەقە (weqe) — event or occurrence
  • Uzbek: voqea — event or occurrence
  • Uzbek: hodisa — event or occurrence
  • Uzbek: mojaro — event or occurrence
  • Vietnamese: sự kiện — event or occurrence
  • Bashkir: осраҡлы хәл (osraqlı) — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Bulgarian: епизод (epizod) — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Chinese Mandarin: 事件 (shìjiàn) — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Dutch: incident — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Dutch: voorval — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Dutch: episode — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Dutch: gebeuren — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Dutch: gebeurtenis — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Finnish: tapaus — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Finnish: sattumus — (minor) event incidental to others
  • German: Nebeneffekt — (minor) event incidental to others
  • German: Ereignisfall — (minor) event incidental to others
  • German: Nebenumstand — (minor) event incidental to others
  • German: Nebensache — (minor) event incidental to others
  • German: Nebenfolge — (minor) event incidental to others
  • German: Folge — (minor) event incidental to others
  • German: Verpflichtung — (minor) event incidental to others
  • German: Nebenhandlung — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Macedonian: епизо́да (epizóda) — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Polish: incydent — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Romanian: episod — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Romanian: mic incident — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Romanian: minor incident — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Scottish Gaelic: tuiteamas — (minor) event incidental to others
  • Azerbaijani: hadisə — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Azerbaijani: qəza — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Belarusian: інцыдэ́нт (incydént) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Belarusian: здарэ́нне (zdarénnje) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Bengali: অকু (oku) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Bengali: অকুআত (okuat) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Bulgarian: произше́ствие (proizšéstvie) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Bulgarian: инциде́нт (incidént) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Chinese Mandarin: 事件 (shìjiàn) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Czech: incident — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Dutch: incident — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Dutch: voorval — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Finnish: välikohtaus — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Finnish: vaaratilanne — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Finnish: häiriötilanne — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Finnish: selkkaus — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Georgian: შემთხვევა (šemtxveva) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Georgian: ინციდენტი (incidenṭi) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • German: Vorfall — event causing interruption or crisis
  • German: Störfall — event causing interruption or crisis
  • German: Ereignis — event causing interruption or crisis
  • German: Zwischenfall — event causing interruption or crisis
  • German: Affäre — event causing interruption or crisis
  • German: Fehler — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Hebrew: תַּקְרִית (takrít) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Hindi: दुर्घटना (durghaṭnā) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Hungarian: incidens — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Irish: eachtra — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Italian: imprevisto — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Italian: inconveniente — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Italian: incidente — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Italian: anomalia — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Japanese: 事故 (jiko) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Japanese: 事変 (jihen) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Khmer: ឧប្បត្តិហេតុ (ʼupbat haet) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Korean: 사건 (sageon) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Lao: ອຸປະຕິເຫດ (ʼu pa ti hēt) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Macedonian: инциде́нт (incidént) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Macedonian: не́згода (nézgoda) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Persian: حادثه (hâdese) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Polish: incydent — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Romanian: incident — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Romanian: deranjament — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Russian: происше́ствие (proisšéstvije) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Russian: инциде́нт (incidént) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Serbo-Croatian: инцѝдент — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Serbo-Croatian: нѐзгода — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Serbo-Croatian: incìdent — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Serbo-Croatian: nèzgoda — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Slovak: incident — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Slovene: incident — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Slovene: nezgoda — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Spanish: insuceso — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Swedish: incident — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Swedish: tillbud — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Swedish: olyckshändelse — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Tajik: ҳодиса (hodisa) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Thai: อุบัติเหตุ (ù-bàt-dtì-hèet) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Turkish: hadise — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Turkish: kaza — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Ukrainian: інциде́нт (incydént) — event causing interruption or crisis
  • Uzbek: hodisa — event causing interruption or crisis
Real reading context

incident in complete knowledge articles