by accident

Adverb

 * 1) Accidentally; unintentionally; without meaning to; as the result of an event not expected, aided, or willingly planned.
 * Sorry. I knocked over the vase by accident.
 * 1) As the result of some undesigned, unintended, unrelated, natural, or random occurrence; as the unexpected and unforeseen result of formerly unrelated factors.
 * The car got totaled by accident; a giant snowdrift fell off the church roof.
 * The only way that project still exists today is by accident; I thought we closed it years ago.
 * The scholar thinks the quote and the parable were spoken on different occasions and only by accident were brought together here.
 * 1) By chance; unexpectedly; as the result of an unrelated series of events.
 * I hadn't seen her for years, but I ran into her by accident at the store.
 * She overheard the information by accident.

Adjective

 * 1) Accidental; as the result of some unforeseen happening or series of events; unexpected; resulting from an event without the foresight, expectation, aid, or design of the person by whose agency it was caused; unintentional.

Synonyms

 * ,, ; see also Thesaurus:accidental