concurrence

American  

[kuhn-kur-uhns, -kuhr-] / kənˈkɜr əns, -ˈkʌr- /

Also concurrency

noun

1. the act of concurring.

2. accordance in opinion; agreement.

   With the concurrence of several specialists, our doctor recommended surgery.

3. cooperation, as of agents or causes; combined action or effort.

4. simultaneous occurrence; coincidence.

   the concurrence of several unusual events.

5. Geometry. a point that is in three or more lines simultaneously.

6. Law. a power equally held or a claim shared equally.

7. Archaic. competition; rivalry.

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concurrence British  

/ kənˈkʌrəns /

noun

1. the act of concurring

2. agreement in opinion; accord; assent

3. cooperation or combination

4. simultaneous occurrence; coincidence

5. geometry a point at which three or more lines intersect

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Other Word Forms

• preconcurrence noun

Etymology

Origin of concurrence

From the Medieval Latin word concurrentia, dating back to 1515–25. See concurrent, -ence

Explanation

When things happen at the same time, it's a concurrence. If you pull up at a traffic light and you see your teacher in the car next to yours and your neighbor behind you, it's an unlikely concurrence. The Latin root of concurrence is concurrentia, which means "a running together." You can use the noun concurrence to describe things that exist together or at the same time, and also when there's an agreement, especially of results or opinions, like a concurrence of opinions among the school board about spending money on a new playground, or a concurrence in your family about wanting pancakes for breakfast.

Example Sentences

“Under this Court’s precedents, not to mention common sense, those circumstances taken together can constitute at least reasonable suspicion of illegal presence,” he said in a concurrence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

But Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in concurrence, joined by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, that such penalties “are fines by any other name. And the Constitution has something to say about them: They cannot be excessive.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Barrett has her own concurrence outlining her view that it’s a more modest rule of statutory construction; not as substantive as Gorsuch says.

From Slate • Feb. 20, 2026

Kavanaugh seemed to quietly walk back this language in a footnote of a Dec. 23 concurrence blocking President Trump from deploying the National Guard in Illinois.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026

And they did: “My friends inform me that Mr. A. speaks of me with great friendship,” Jefferson observed, “and with satisfaction in the prospect of administering the government in concurrence with me.”

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• unanimity