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.
-
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.
-
necessary business matters.
to go about one's lawful occasions.
-
verb (used with object)
-
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
-
(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
-
a special event, time, or celebration
the party was quite an occasion
-
every so often
-
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
-
have occasionedperfect
-
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:
Unlike in 2017, Harmanpreet couldn't get a hundred on that occasion, but her innings of 89 as was a stellar effort as captain.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Ellison met with Newsom on more than one occasion, the people familiar with the matter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
A specially designed Argentina kit has been created to mark the occasion - and the shirt worn by Messi could go on to become one of the most expensive ever.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
About 30,000 saw South Korea beat Japan 1-0 to clinch men's football gold, although the occasion was tarnished somewhat when the South Korean flag failed to go up in the victory ceremony.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
He left mother and child behind but was probably permitted to visit on occasion.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Trump is not a fan of Camp David, having visited the presidential bolthole in the scenic Maryland hills near Washington on only a handful of occasions during his two terms in office.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
One of the UK's biggest oil refineries spilled pollution into local rivers and the Mersey Estuary on dozens of occasions in 2023 and 2024, documents shared exclusively with the BBC suggest.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
I have a friend who has, on a few occasions, sent me AI-generated raps with his name or a joke inserted as the lyrics.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
As a result, they may welcome occasions when their originalist analysis leads to results they dislike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
On some occasions, the team would stop at a fairly expensive restaurant and he’d announce to everyone, “Order anything on the menu you want, but no alcohol.”
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
"The absence of our lawyers was occasioned by the state itself, not by ourselves," said Besigye.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Mr. Trueman contends that the loss of belief in man’s sacredness, depending as it did on a belief in God, occasioned the descent into confusion we constantly regret, without knowing quite why.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 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
One day I had come to my studies in lower spirits than usual; the ebb was occasioned by a poignantly felt disappointment.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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
The reality of globalization and the cyber revolution is likely occasioning another reformation of Christianity.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 30, 2017
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.
