incident

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”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪnsɪdənt/, [ˈɪnsɪdənt] ~ [ˈɪnsɪdn̩t]

  • Audio (US):

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• Hyphenation: in‧ci‧dent

incident (countable and uncountable, plural incidents)

1. (countable, uncountable) An event or occurrence.

   Synonyms: proceeding; see also Thesaurus:occurrence

   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.

   • 2025 October 15, Vitali Vitaliev, “The recipe for Swiss bliss”, in RAIL, number 1046, page 68:

     Where else in the world can you pre-order sushi and fondue on some of the trains, travel in family carriages equipped with mini-playgrounds, or use a request stop button at some small stations? Where else can you hear the announcement: "The train at Platform 4 is ten minutes late due to an incident in another country," as I did once at the Swiss station of Spiez?

2. A (relatively minor) event that is incidental to, or related to others.
3. An event that causes or may cause an interruption or a crisis, such as a workplace illness or a software error.
   1. (often used in apposition) An event affecting an aircraft, usually a plane crash.

incident (not comparable)

1. Arising as the result of an event, inherent.

   No major hazards incident to this job.

   • 1980 December 6, Cindy Rizzo, “Jewish, Lesbian, Feminist, Psychologist, Author—All of the above and more”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 20, page 9:

     It is at this juncture that Toder launches into the familiar and troubling topic of monogamy versus non-monogamy. She outwardly expresses no preference for either option, considering each to hold certain consequences incident to it.

2. (physics, of a stream of particles or radiation) Falling on or striking a surface.

   The incident light illuminated the surface.

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.
   • [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     As the ordinary course of common affairs is disposed of by general laws, so likewise men's rarer incident necessities and utilities should be with special equity considered.

4. Liable to happen; apt to occur; befalling; hence, naturally happening or appertaining.
   • 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 43:

     All chances incident to mans frail life.

   • 17th century, Richard Milward, "Preface" to Seldeniana

     the studies incident to his profession

   • 1816, Richard Lawrence, The complete farrier, and British sportsman, page 245:

     The Vives, like the strangles, is most incident to young horses, and usually proceeds from the same causes, such as catching cold, being over-heated, or over-worked, about the time of shedding their teeth.

5. (law) Dependent upon, or appertaining to, another thing, called the principal.
6. (mathematics) In a relation of incidence
   • 2005, Reinhard Diestel, Graph Theory - Electronic Edition, 3rd edition, page 12:

     The second inequality follows from the fact that all the edges incident with a fixed vertex separate [an arbitrary graph] G.

   • 1968, Peter Dembowski, Finite Geometries, page 315:

     If there is only one ideal point U and only one ideal line u, then either (i) every point in u is incident with a line in U, or else (ii) no point in u is incident with any line of U.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [in.siˈðen]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [in.siˈðent]

• Audio (Barcelona):

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incident m (plural incidents)

1. incident

• “incident”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “incident”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “incident” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “incident”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Borrowed from Middle French incident, from Old French incident, from Latin incidēns.

• IPA^(key): /ˌɪn.siˈdɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: in‧ci‧dent
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

incident n (plural incidenten, no diminutive)

1. an incident

   Synonym: voorval

• grensincident
• incidenteel
• schietincident
• steekincident

• Afrikaans: insident
• → Indonesian: insiden
• → West Frisian: ynsidint

Learned borrowing from Latin incidens.

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.si.dɑ̃/

• Audio:

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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incident m (plural incidents)

1. incident

incident (feminine incidente, masculine plural incidents, feminine plural incidentes)

1. incidental
2. (physics) incident

• “incident”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Form of the verb incidō (“to fall upon”).

incident

1. third-person plural future active indicative of incidō

Form of the verb incīdō (“to cut or hew open”).

incīdent

1. third-person plural future active indicative of incīdō

Borrowed from French incident.

incident m or n (feminine singular incidentă, masculine plural incidenți, feminine/neuter plural incidente)

1. incidental

• IPA^(key): /int͡sǐdent/
• Hyphenation: in‧ci‧dent

incìdent m inan (Cyrillic spelling инцѝдент)

1. incident

incident c

1. an incident (unexpected, disruptive event)

• tillbud

• “incident”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “incident”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)