occurrence
Americannoun
-
occurrences
plural
-
the action, fact, or instance of occurring.
-
something that happens; event; incident.
We were delayed by several unexpected occurrences.
- Synonyms:
- circumstance
noun
-
something that occurs; a happening; event
-
the act or an instance of occurring
a crime of frequent occurrence
Synonym Usage
See event.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of occurrence
1530–40; < Latin occurrent-, stem of occurrēns (present participle of occurrere “to run up to, run to meet”), from oc- (variant of ob- ; see ob- ( def. )) + currere “to run” + -ence; compare Medieval Latin occurrentia
Explanation
An occurrence is an instance of something or a time when something happens. If you get migraines, the doctor might ask how many occurrences of the headache you have in a month. An occurrence is an instance of something that happens repeatedly. The occurrence of Lyme disease is more frequent in New England than it is in other parts of the country. As soon as authorities see an occurrence of rabies, they send warnings out to people who live in the area. Sometimes though, an occurrence is a single event or an incident. If you and your friend saw a ghost in the cemetery, that would be quite an occurrence!
Vocabulary lists containing occurrence
Make a Run for It: Cur, Curs
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 4
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
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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:
Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in Indonesia -- an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that rely heavily on boat connections.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
"You end up overthinking every single sensation, even if it's a regular everyday occurrence," she says.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Four and a half months into my incarceration, in an incredibly rare occurrence in our legal system, three federal judges ordered my immediate release after hearing oral arguments in my appeal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
This has been a relatively rare occurrence in the U.S. — but it does happen.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
I was stunned by what happened next, although I had to admit it was becoming a pretty common occurrence: I started to cry.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
Foodborne disease outbreaks caused by viruses, bacteria like E. coli, or microscopic parasites like Cyclospora are fairly regular occurrences.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
In this ecosystem, there are no longer any natural occurrences.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
“It does appear to be a coincidence that two similar occurrences happened in corresponding weeks and this was not the mountain lion that was in Santa Monica last week,” a Fish and Wildlife spokesperson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
In their efforts to explain downturns, economists tend to connect unrelated data and occurrences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
In English, apart from a couple of occurrences in a text of 1589, ‘scientific’ does not appear until 1637, after which date it becomes increasingly common.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
