accidentby 'accident1.■in a way that is not planned or organized 偶然；意外地:We met by accident at the airport. 我们在机场不期而遇。Helen got into acting purely by accident. 海伦进入演艺界纯属偶然。(whether) by ,accident or de'sign2.■if you say that sth happens by accident or design,you mean that you do not know if it has been planned or not﹙不论﹚出于无意还是有意:Mary was wearing the same T-shirt as me—whether by accident or design, I never knew. 玛丽穿一件和我一样的T 恤衫—我不知道是无意还是有意的。3.■an accident/a disaster waiting to happen 另见waiting