incident

Universal Words noun 1 [C] something that happens, especially sth unusual or unpleasant: His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. * One particular incident sticks in my mind. 2 [C,U] a serious or violent event, such as a crime, an accident or an attack: There was a shooting incident near here last night. * (BrE) The police are setting up an incident room near the murder spot (= where they can collect evidence, etc.). * The demonstration passed off without incident. 3 [C] a disagreement between two countries, often involving military forces: a border / diplomatic incident -< EVENT