Incident/ˈɪnsɪdənt/ Definition 1 of 4Pro Tip 1/2Expect the Unexpected An incident often refers to something unanticipated that interrupts regular activities. Due to an incident, the show was paused unexpectedly. Pro Tip 2/2Scale and Impact An incident can be minor or major, but it always influences the normal flow of events. A minor incident delayed our meeting for a short while.