1
general::
accident
an event in which a vehicle is damaged and often someone is hurt:
• Her father died in a car accident. • Hugh had an accident on his way to work.
crash
a serious accident in which a vehicle hits something else:
• Rees-Jones was the only person to survive the crash. • a car/plane/train crash • He was killed in a plane crash.
collision
an accident in which two or more cars, trains etc hit each other:
• His car was involved in a collision with a train. • a head-on collision (= between vehicles that are driving towards each other ): The actor was killed in a head-on collision while driving his new sports car.
disaster
a serious accident involving a train, plane, or boat, in which a lot of people are killed or injured:
• It was Britain’s worst air disaster.
wreck
American English an accident in which a car or train is badly damaged:
• Ben nearly died in a car wreck.
pile-up
an accident that involves several cars or trucks:
• The pile-up happened in thick fog. • There was a 12-car pile-up on the motorway.
fender-bender/prang
American English informal , prang British English informal a car accident in which little damage is done:
• Atkinson was involved in a fender-bender in the hotel parking lot. • At 15, he borrowed his parents’ car and had a prang.
Longman-Thesaurus
3
general::
accident
adjectives
a bad/serious accident
• There’s been a bad accident on the freeway. • The road is closed following a serious accident.
a major accident
• News is coming in of a major rail accident.
a horrible/nasty/horrific accident
• We narrowly avoided a nasty accident. • ‘This was an absolutely horrific accident,’ said an ambulance spokesman.
a fatal accident
(= in which someone is killed )
• a fatal accident involving a bus and a cyclist
a minor accident
(= one that is not serious )
• The ice and poor visibility caused minor accidents all over the country.
a road/traffic accident
• The number of traffic accidents has gone down. • Portugal has one of Western Europe’s worst road accident rates.
a car accident
( also an automobile accident American English formal )
• He was badly injured in a car accident.
a plane accident/an airplane accident
( also a flying accident )
• Holly died in a plane accident.
a rail accident/a train accident
• It was the country's worst ever rail accident.
a hit-and-run accident
(= when someone is hit by a driver who does not stop )
• A woman is fighting for her life after a hit-and-run accident.
verbs
have an accident
• I had an accident on my way to work.
be involved in an accident
formal
• Your son has been involved in a car accident.
prevent an accident
• Steps have been taken to prevent a similar accident happening again.
an accident happens
( also an accident occurs formal )
• No one saw the accident happen. • Most road accidents occur in urban areas.
accident + NOUN
an accident victim
• One of the accident victims is still trapped in his vehicle.
accident rates/statistics
• There is a relation between accident rates and the numbers of drivers on the road. • a survey of the latest airline accident statistics
an accident investigation/inquiry
• The two deaths are the subject of an accident inquiry. • Accident investigations often take months.
an accident investigator
• Accident investigators have been there all morning.
phrases
the scene of an accident
(= the place where it happened )
• Police were at the scene of the accident within minutes.
COMMON ERRORS
>>> Do not say ' a small accident '. Say a minor accident .
transnet.ir
4
general::
noun unexpected event that causes damage/injury ADJ. dreadful, horrific, major, nasty, serious, terrible, tragic, unfortunate | fatal a fatal road accident | minor, slight | freak Their boat sank in a freak accident. | near (= that nearly happens, but does not) | hit-and-run | aircraft, canoeing, car, climbing, flying, industrial, motor, nuclear, road, traffic, etc. VERB + ACCIDENT be involved in, have, meet with She met with an accident while on holiday in Spain. | cause | prevent | survive ACCIDENT + VERB happen, occur, take place ACCIDENT + NOUN prevention | rates, statistics PREP. in an/the ~ PHRASES an accident involving He was badly hurt in an accident involving two cars and a lorry. | the scene of the accident The ambulance took only six minutes to reach the scene of the accident. sth not planned in advance ADJ. pure, sheer By pure accident he had come across the very man who could solve the mystery. PREP. by ~ We met by accident at the airport. PHRASES be no accident that … It is no accident that men fill most of the top jobs. | by accident or design It happened, whether by accident or design, that Steve and I were the last two people to leave.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary