occasion
Americannoun
-
occasions
plural
-
a particular time, especially as marked by certain circumstances or occurrences.
They met on three occasions.
-
a special or important time, event, ceremony, celebration, etc..
His birthday will be quite an occasion.
-
a convenient or favorable time, opportunity, or juncture.
This slack period would be a good occasion to take inventory.
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the immediate or incidental cause or reason for some action or result.
What is the occasion for this uproar?
- Synonyms:
- influence, inducement, motive
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(in the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead) the coincidence of the eternal objects forming a specific point-event.
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Obsolete. occasions,
-
needs or necessities.
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necessary business matters.
to go about one's lawful occasions.
-
verb (used with object)
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occasions,
present (3rd person singular)
-
occasioned,
past participle, past
-
occasioning
present participle
idioms
noun
-
(sometimes foll by of) the time of a particular happening or event
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(sometimes foll by for) a reason or cause (to do or be something); grounds
there was no occasion to complain
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an opportunity (to do something); chance
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a special event, time, or celebration
the party was quite an occasion
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every so often
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to have the courage, wit, etc, to meet the special demands of a situation
-
to avail oneself of an opportunity (to do something)
verb
Synonym Usage
See cause.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
occasionsimple
-
occasionssimple
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have occasionedperfect
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has occasionedperfect
-
am occasioningprogressive
-
are occasioningprogressive
-
is occasioningprogressive
-
have been occasioningperfect progressive
-
has been occasioningperfect progressive
Past
-
occasionedsimple
-
had occasionedperfect
-
was occasioningprogressive
-
were occasioningprogressive
-
had been occasioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of occasion
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English occasioun, from Old French occasion, from Latin occāsiōn-, stem of occāsiō, literally, “a falling out,” from occās(us) “fallen down” (past participle of occidere “to fall down, set,” from oc- oc- + -cidere, combining form of cadere “to fall”) + -iō -ion
Explanation
Occasion means something special––that happens seldom or is notable when it does. On occasion, we sit down together as a family, but not every day, and never for dinner. When Great Aunt Mabel visits, however, we rise to the occasion and stage a large family meal. Occasion can also mean a designated time or reason something happens, or it can be an event in itself. I'm giving you your grandmother's ring on the occasion of your graduation from high school. I haven't had occasion to look at it since she died. It's valuable, so only wear it on special occasions.
Vocabulary lists containing occasion
English Words Derived from French, List 1
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Introducing Rhetoric: Using the "Available Means" (Chapter 1)
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
There is no reason to believe that such heroes won’t once again rise to the occasion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Fortunately, at least on occasion these do reappear and give us some exciting new research opportunities.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Again, I was surprised — and flattered — to find myself on the guest list, and naturally I wanted to know what the occasion was.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Donald Trump did not pick up the phone on this occasion.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
I figured that this was a very special occasion.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
She said the significant stress made her worry about her unborn child and caused her to "spiral" on some occasions.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Sara MacKenzie, director of admissions at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has seen essays that say “generated by ChatGPT” at the bottom on rare occasions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
That said, he played the full game on only 10 occasions in the league.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Zeif settled on slow Sunday mornings and other occasions when he knew he’d have time to savor the treat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
He called it the Tristan Strong uniform of choice, perfect for all occasions.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
"The absence of our lawyers was occasioned by the state itself, not by ourselves," said Besigye.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
The rise of AI technology, which requires far more energy than ordinary computing, has occasioned data centers’ dramatic numerical growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Caesar, Hegel writes, was driven by “an unconscious impulse that occasioned the accomplishment of that for which the time was ripe.”
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026
The 10th anniversary of Miranda’s Tony Award-winning, culturally transformative musical “Hamilton,” with the duel as its centerpiece, has occasioned a new wave of critical hosannas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2025
The buzzing occasioned by his action would not diminish for years.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Thursday’s D-Day anniversary — the 80th — is occasioning somber and anxious reflections about the fate of the Atlantic alliance.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
Land in and around Cal State Long Beach is the sacred ancestral home of the Tongvas’ divine founder and lawgiver, Chingishish, and ancient human remains have been discovered there over the years, occasioning ceremonial reburials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
Some, like Amanda Beane’s frankly titled “I Just Wanna Dance,” surround dance with a thin narrative frame: in this case, an audition scene occasioning a glorious gender-fluid Hustle routine.
From New York Times ● Feb. 10, 2022
At Southwark Crown Court Mr Coe, a Muslim, denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm and battery.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2016
Theresa poked a finger in a soft spot of plaster, occasioning a moist avalanche.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
