occasion
Americannoun
-
occasions
plural
-
a particular time, especially as marked by certain circumstances or occurrences.
They met on three occasions.
-
a special or important time, event, ceremony, celebration, etc..
His birthday will be quite an occasion.
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a convenient or favorable time, opportunity, or juncture.
This slack period would be a good occasion to take inventory.
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the immediate or incidental cause or reason for some action or result.
What is the occasion for this uproar?
- Synonyms:
- influence, inducement, motive
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(in the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead) the coincidence of the eternal objects forming a specific point-event.
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Obsolete. occasions,
-
needs or necessities.
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necessary business matters.
to go about one's lawful occasions.
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verb (used with object)
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occasions,
present (3rd person singular)
-
occasioned,
past participle, past
-
occasioning
present participle
idioms
noun
-
(sometimes foll by of) the time of a particular happening or event
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(sometimes foll by for) a reason or cause (to do or be something); grounds
there was no occasion to complain
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an opportunity (to do something); chance
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a special event, time, or celebration
the party was quite an occasion
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every so often
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to have the courage, wit, etc, to meet the special demands of a situation
-
to avail oneself of an opportunity (to do something)
verb
Synonym Usage
See cause.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
occasionsimple
-
occasionssimple
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have occasionedperfect
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has occasionedperfect
-
am occasioningprogressive
-
are occasioningprogressive
-
is occasioningprogressive
-
have been occasioningperfect progressive
-
has been occasioningperfect progressive
Past
-
occasionedsimple
-
had occasionedperfect
-
was occasioningprogressive
-
were occasioningprogressive
-
had been occasioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of occasion
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English occasioun, from Old French occasion, from Latin occāsiōn-, stem of occāsiō, literally, “a falling out,” from occās(us) “fallen down” (past participle of occidere “to fall down, set,” from oc- oc- + -cidere, combining form of cadere “to fall”) + -iō -ion
Explanation
Occasion means something special––that happens seldom or is notable when it does. On occasion, we sit down together as a family, but not every day, and never for dinner. When Great Aunt Mabel visits, however, we rise to the occasion and stage a large family meal. Occasion can also mean a designated time or reason something happens, or it can be an event in itself. I'm giving you your grandmother's ring on the occasion of your graduation from high school. I haven't had occasion to look at it since she died. It's valuable, so only wear it on special occasions.
Vocabulary lists containing occasion
English Words Derived from French, List 1
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Introducing Rhetoric: Using the "Available Means" (Chapter 1)
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Rockets made light work of the chase and while the game was an underwhelming occasion, it was a fitting and deserving end for the tournament's most consistent and well-structured side.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Maybe she was meant to adorn someone else for some other occasion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
During the 2024 campaign, Trump appeared at a franchise in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, where the restaurant had been closed to regular customers for the occasion.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Rain and clouds were forecast to spoil the occasion in the Westfjords region of northwestern Iceland, while Reykjavik, the capital, was set to experience its first total eclipse since 1433.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
If Marina knew that someone’s child had fallen ill, she’d find a way to send medication and, on occasion, an air ambulance.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
In other words, the people ordering N/A beer, spirit-free cocktails and alcohol-free sparkling wine are often the exact same people ordering IPAs, martinis and Champagne on different occasions.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
And on past occasions, companies have been called to task for using euphemisms or vague language.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Perseverance has observed these events as well, including occasions when Phobos or Deimos passes across the Sun as viewed from the Martian surface.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
When less-lethal weapons proved ineffective, the department deployed tear gas on two occasions, June 8 and 14, to disperse “violent groups” and restore order.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Truly, the wise founder had a pithy saying for most, if not all, occasions.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
"The absence of our lawyers was occasioned by the state itself, not by ourselves," said Besigye.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Both patterns were probably occasioned by a mixture of motives.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Mr. Trueman contends that the loss of belief in man’s sacredness, depending as it did on a belief in God, occasioned the descent into confusion we constantly regret, without knowing quite why.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Caesar, Hegel writes, was driven by “an unconscious impulse that occasioned the accomplishment of that for which the time was ripe.”
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026
All Newton himself ever said was that the idea of gravity came to him as he sat “in a contemplative mood” and “was occasioned by the fall of an apple.”
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Thursday’s D-Day anniversary — the 80th — is occasioning somber and anxious reflections about the fate of the Atlantic alliance.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
Land in and around Cal State Long Beach is the sacred ancestral home of the Tongvas’ divine founder and lawgiver, Chingishish, and ancient human remains have been discovered there over the years, occasioning ceremonial reburials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
But a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court found her not guilty of two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2023
In his lawsuit seeking damages for violations of his constitutional rights, Kilborn says he had used this identical hypothetical for 10 years without occasioning comment, let alone campus convulsions.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2022
Theresa poked a finger in a soft spot of plaster, occasioning a moist avalanche.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
