incur

American  

[in-kur] / ɪnˈkɜr /

verb (used with object)

• incurs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• incurred,
  past participle,  past
• incurring
  present participle

1. 

   to come into or acquire (some consequence, usually undesirable or injurious).

   to incur a huge number of debts.

2. to become liable or subject to through one's own action; bring or take upon oneself.

   to incur his displeasure.

   Synonyms:

   provoke, incite, arouse

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incur British  

/ ɪnˈkɜː /

verb

1. to make oneself subject to (something undesirable); bring upon oneself

2. to run into or encounter

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reincur
  verb (used with object)
• incurrable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• incurring
  present
• incurred
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• incur
  simple
• incurs
  simple
• have incurred
  perfect
• has incurred
  perfect
• am incurring
  progressive
• are incurring
  progressive
• is incurring
  progressive
• have been incurring
  perfect progressive
• has been incurring
  perfect progressive

Past

• incurred
  simple
• had incurred
  perfect
• was incurring
  progressive
• were incurring
  progressive
• had been incurring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will incur
  simple
• will have incurred
  perfect
• will be incurring
  progressive
• will have been incurring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of incur

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin incurrere “to run into, come upon,” equivalent to in- in- ² + currere “to run”; see current

Explanation

To incur is to get or receive — and usually it's something you brought upon yourself. If you don't pay your credit card bills on time, you'll likely incur lots of fees and some serious debt. Generally, when you incur something, that something is undesirable. You can incur penalties, expenses, a parking ticket, or a friend’s wrath, for example. But it's pretty unlikely that you'd incur free tickets to the World Series. Frederick Douglass once famously said, “I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

incur incurs incurred incurring

Because equities are riskier than fixed income, investors demand a higher expected return to incur that greater risk — regardless of where interest rates may stand.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Maxx now incur fees that range from $4.95 to $11.99.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Of course, as so many 19th-century paintings capture, left out of this telling is that Orestes’ crimes incur the Furies’ wrath.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026

Tech scion David Ellison’s company wants the coalition of 12 states and the WGA to cover the ‘ticking fees’ that Paramount could incur due to Warner deal delays.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

They slunk into the room, each trying to hide behind the other, knowing that the poor results of their search were likely to incur the Chief’s wrath.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

If LA28 incurs massive financial losses, the city would cover the first $270 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The company is continuing to face margin pressure as it works on turnaround-related investments and incurs more tariff costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

The sale helps Occidental reduce its net debt but eliminates a diversifying asset and incurs a significant $1.7 billion tax bite.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2025

The regulations state: "A team will have one point deducted from its points total for each penalty over it incurs."

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2025

Also, even if a dangler is in no danger of being misinterpreted, enough readers have trained themselves to spot danglers that a writer who leaves it incurs the risk of being judged as slovenly.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

But EDL, charged with maintaining the grid, is tackling large debts incurred during the expansion and due to consumer subsidies.

From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026

That’s why past rulings said one plywood manufacturer couldn’t write off Super Bowl tickets but a struggling fashion designer could deduct the costs incurred with a local television appearance.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

This means many of the losses incurred in the attacks have been borne by those businesses.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

U.S. stocks ended mixed on Monday as a drop in oil prices was offset by concerns about debt incurred to fund the artificial-intelligence boom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Most people probably enjoyed the close intimacy of the roaming band, but those unfortunates who incurred the hostility or mockery of their fellow band members probably suffered terribly.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

In Wilson’s case, that could theoretically involve giving up other assets to avoid selling Lululemon shares and incurring capital-gains taxes, lawyers said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

The exemption, known as the de minimis rule, had helped Shein and rival Temu grow rapidly as it allowed packages worth less than $800 to enter the US without incurring import duties.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Paramount is incurring considerable legal fees and deal-related costs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

However, for most people, paying a 6.6% mortgage rate is less costly than incurring the substantial taxes associated with a $500,000 lump-sum IRA withdrawal.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

Mainly he had learned that he could, occasionally at least, jump from his cage and wander around without incurring any anger or injury.

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

Related Words

• acquire
• arouse
• earn
• obtain
• provoke