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Definition of "incident" []

  • A definite and separate occurrence; an event. See Synonyms at occurrence. (noun)
  • A usually minor event or condition that is subordinate to another. (noun)
  • Something contingent on or related to something else. (noun)
  • An occurrence or event that interrupts normal procedure or precipitates a crisis: an international incident. (noun)
  • Tending to arise or occur as a result or accompaniment: "There is a professional melancholy . . . incident to the occupation of a tailor” ( Charles Lamb). (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "incident" in a sentence
  • "If the materials have been selected to contribute to the main incident and converge toward it, it will follow that _the main incident_ will come last in the story; it"
  • "Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Norval Cooper at 410-222-3453 or the Anne Arundel County Police Department at 410-222-8610."
  • "Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call investigator Mark McCaffrey at 703-777-0475."