event
Americannoun
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events
plural
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something that happens or is regarded as happening; an occurrence, especially one of some importance.
- Synonyms:
- circumstance, case, affair, happening
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the outcome, issue, or result of anything.
The venture had no successful event.
- Synonyms:
- consequence
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something that occurs in a certain place during a particular interval of time.
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Physics. in relativity, an occurrence that is sharply localized at a single point in space and instant of time.
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Sports. any of the contests in a program made up of one sport or of a number of sports.
The broad jump event followed the pole vault.
idioms
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in the event of, if there should be.
In the event of rain, the party will be held indoors.
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in any event, regardless of what happens; in any case. Also at all events.
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in the event that, if it should happen that; in case.
In the event that I can't come back by seven, you can eat without me.
noun
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anything that takes place or happens, esp something important; happening; incident
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the actual or final outcome; result (esp in the phrases in the event, after the event )
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any one contest in a programme of sporting or other contests
the high jump is his event
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philosophy
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an occurrence regarded as a bare instant of space-time as contrasted with an object which fills space and has endurance
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an occurrence regarded in isolation from, or contrasted with, human agency Compare act
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regardless of circumstances; in any case
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in case of; if (such a thing) happens
in the event of rain the race will be cancelled
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if it should happen that
verb
Synonym Usage
Event, episode, incident, occurrence are terms for a happening. An event is usually an important happening: historical events. An episode is one of a series of happenings in a person's life or in a narrative: an episode in one's life. An incident is an event of usually minor importance: an amusing incident in a play. An occurrence is something that happens, often by surprise: His arrival was an unexpected occurrence.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of event
First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin ēventus “occurrence, outcome,” equivalent to ēven(īre) “to come out, fall out, occur” + -tus suffix of verbal action
Explanation
An event is something that happens, or might happen. In the event that you get stuck in traffic, the wedding will continue. It is too important an event to wait even for someone as important as you. When something is eventful, many things happen during it. In a detective story, a protagonist can protect himself by mailing an envelope to the police to be opened "in the event of his death." In the novel White Noise, Don DeLillo describes an Airborne Toxic Event, both predicting and mocking the disasters of our time.
Vocabulary lists containing event
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 5
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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:
The BBC's Jonathan Head attended a shooting drill at a high school in Bangkok run by Thai police, who hope the drill will help prepare students in the event of an active shooter.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Apple unveiled its long-awaited first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, on Wednesday, at the company's first launch event since CEO John Ternus took the reins on September 1.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
“The fear is: ‘What if I have a health event or something happens to my spouse?’
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
The crossover event between Disney-owned ABC and Hulu was an attempt at synergy casting that hinged on Paul to boost curiosity across both series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
This is why Maggie didn’t tell her about the cousin, or the reunion, or the tribal event.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Those three events can increase costs in retirement or raise concerns about retirement security.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Their ambition is for tournaments worth around £7m, which puts them well below leading events on the PGA Tour but above most competitions on Europe's DP World Tour.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
They are seen in the stands at each other’s sporting events when their schedules allow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Notable events included Lake Mead, America's largest reservoir, dropping to its lowest level on record.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
The events of the previous day came next, and I began thinking clearly again.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
