recur

American  

[ri-kur] / rɪˈkɜr /

verb (used without object)

recurs, present (3rd person singular) recurred, past participle, past recurring present participle

1. to occur again, as an event, experience, etc.

2. to return to the mind.

   The idea kept recurring.

3. to come up again for consideration, as a question.

4. to have recourse.

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recur British  

/ rɪˈkɜː /

verb

1. to happen again, esp at regular intervals

2. (of a thought, idea, etc) to come back to the mind

3. (of a problem, etc) to come up again

4. maths (of a digit or group of digits) to be repeated an infinite number of times at the end of a decimal fraction

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• recurring
  adjective
• recurringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• recurring
  present
• recurred
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• recur
  simple
• recurs
  simple
• have recurred
  perfect
• has recurred
  perfect
• am recurring
  progressive
• are recurring
  progressive
• is recurring
  progressive
• have been recurring
  perfect progressive
• has been recurring
  perfect progressive

Past

• recurred
  simple
• had recurred
  perfect
• was recurring
  progressive
• were recurring
  progressive
• had been recurring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will recur
  simple
• will have recurred
  perfect
• will be recurring
  progressive
• will have been recurring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of recur

1610–20; earlier: to recede < Latin recurrere to run back, equivalent to re- re- + currere to run

Explanation

Have you ever had the same crazy dream night after night? If so, you know that dreams can recur, meaning they repeat, or happen again. The verb recur is used to describe something that happens over and over, whether it’s an injury, an argument, or a character who pops up from time to time on a television show. Recur often describes an event that happens repeatedly, but it can also be used to describe something, such as an image or a memory, that for some reason just keeps popping back up in your mind, like self-doubt that recurs every time you worry about something.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

recur recurs recurred recurring

These changes do not always mean cancer is present, but they should be evaluated if they continue or recur.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

Sirinya is worried that such a tragedy could recur "because there are so many of these pubs".

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

“It is definitely terrifying,” particularly the thought that her cancer might recur, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

Tillmans’ interest in stargazing goes back to his adolescence, and images of the moon and cosmos recur in his work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026

That illustrates an issue that will recur throughout this book.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

The brilliance of these pairings recurs throughout the show, which is more than a curatorial coup.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

If the same pattern recurs, employment gains last month could be stronger than expected.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026

That conflict between “progress” and “tradition” has never been resolved, and recurs in every generation.

From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2025

This leads to a sudden reduction in downforce, so the car jumps up, only for the airflow to start working again, the car sucked back down until the same thing recurs.

From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025

Thus throughout history a struggle which is the same in its main outlines recurs over and over again.

From "1984" by George Orwell

Insurance company Allianz modeled how countries would fare if the five hottest years each experienced between 2014 and 2024 recurred in succession.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Ireland centre Garry Ringrose withdrew from the British and Irish Lions starting line-up for the second Test in Australia, telling coaches that symptoms from a head knock a fortnight earlier had recurred.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2025

As someone who has always had a masochistic streak, finding out that these sequences of cars speeding down darkened paths recurred in Lynch’s other works both delighted and horrified me.

From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2025

It’s a thematic mix that has recurred, at varying intensities, throughout Lemon’s influential but branding-resistant career.

From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2024

Till this moment, I had been so intent on watching them, their appearance and conversation had excited in me so keen an interest, I had half-forgotten my own wretched position: now it recurred to me.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

“Elevated oil prices and Middle East-related supply chain disruption are likely to be recurring themes in company commentary,” they add.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Friedman advises limiting AI conversational role-play to once a week for recurring interactions, or to the day before a big event.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

The Somerset Parent Carer Forum surveyed its members, and said it was a "recurring concern" that there is a struggle to find holiday activities.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Firstly, the 43-year-old company has shifted in favor of offering free entry to many users, which Wood warned effectively brought recurring revenue growth down by about $500 million in its second quarter.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Once a human being is dead there are people enough to provide the last decencies; perhaps it is so because only then can there be no question of further or recurring assistance being sought.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Related Words

• persist
• reappear