occur

[ uh-kur ]

verb (used without object)

, oc·curred, oc·cur·ring.

1. to happen; take place; come to pass:

   When did the accident occur?

   Synonyms: befall

2. to be met with or found; present itself; appear:

   Modest amounts of fructose occur naturally in fruits and vegetables.

   Synonyms: offer, exist, arise

3. to suggest itself in thought; come to mind (usually followed by to ):

   An idea occurred to me.

occur

/ əˈkɜː /

verb

1. to happen; take place; come about
2. to be found or be present; exist
3. foll by to to be realized or thought of (by); suggest itself (to)

Usage

It is usually regarded as incorrect to talk of pre-arranged events occurring or happening : the wedding took place (not occurred or happened ) in the afternoon

Other Words From

• pre·oc·cur verb (used without object) preoccurred preoccurring
• re·oc·cur verb (used without object) reoccurred reoccurring
• un·oc·cur·ring adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of occur¹

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin occurrere “to run to meet, arrive, meet,” equivalent to oc- oc- + currere “to run”

Word History and Origins

Origin of occur¹

C16: from Latin occurrere to run up to, from ob- to + currere to run

Synonym Study

See happen.

Example Sentences

Eating disorders, on the other hand, are driven largely by biological processes that occur on the inside.

From The Daily Beast

But one extra trick would instantly solve the problem of crashes that occur over water.

From The Daily Beast

They maintain that the initial radicalization tends to occur offline before it is then reinforced online.

From The Daily Beast

We, on the other hand, on the police side, will naturally gear up to deal with any potential contingency that might occur.

From The Daily Beast

Diagnosis of CTE is often considered to be specialized and has to occur at a designated institution like Boston University.

From The Daily Beast

Sometimes in the case of large plants, cones have been known to occur on the tips of the branches of the Marsh Horsetail.

From Project Gutenberg

The upper part of the stem is usually unbranched, but whorls of branches occur towards the base.

From Project Gutenberg

They generally occur together, but the pigment is not infrequently present alone.

From Project Gutenberg

With this I will end this letter, leaving it in this state until it is time to seal it, in case anything should occur to be added.

From Project Gutenberg

And if that was the case, Mrs. Robin didn't mean to let anything of the kind occur again.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• appear
• arise
• crop up
• develop
• ensue
• exist
• follow
• go
• materialize
• result
• show
• take place
• transpire