occur

[uh-kur]

verb (used without object)

occurred, occurring 

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 byto ).

   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 Word Forms

• preoccur verb (used without object)
• reoccur verb (used without object)
• unoccurring 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

Such a scenario would bring worse shaking to San Francisco than what occurred in 1906, where the epicenter was around the Golden Gate but then moved away from the city.

From Los Angeles Times

But the policy was reversed in 2019 by her successor Sajid Javid, who made it easier to making it easier for officers to search people without reasonable suspicion in places where serious violence may occur.

From BBC

In 1877, Congress even passed a law prohibiting it, which says that “only the portrait of deceased individuals may occur on the United States currency and securities.”

From Salon

Mears added that it’s possible that more charges could come connected to the incident that occurred late Friday night and into early Saturday morning in an alley outside a downtown Indianapolis hotel.

From Los Angeles Times

Bush to send federal troops to help stop the Los Angeles riots that occurred after police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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