Synonyms

occur

American

[uh-kur] / əˈkɜr /

verb (used without object)

occurred, occurring

to happen; take place; come to pass.

When did the accident occur?

Synonyms:

befall
to be met with or found; present itself; appear.

Modest amounts of fructose occur naturally in fruits and vegetables.

Synonyms:

offer, exist, arise
to suggest itself in thought; come to mind (usually followed byto ).

An idea occurred to me.

occur British

/ əˈkɜː /

verb

to happen; take place; come about
to be found or be present; exist
(foll by to) to be realized or thought of (by); suggest itself (to)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

It is usually regarded as incorrect to talk of pre-arranged events occurring or happening : the wedding took place (not occurred or happened ) in the afternoon

Related Words

See happen.

Other Word Forms

preoccur verb (used without object)
reoccur verb (used without object)
unoccurring adjective

Etymology

Origin of occur

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin occurrere “to run to meet, arrive, meet,” equivalent to oc- oc- + currere “to run”

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.

While it is well known that the two conditions often occur together, the underlying mechanisms they may share have remained unclear.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

Finding the place where the rain will occur is difficult; the going is hard and the environment is deadly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

I’m there to smooth out all of the snags that sometimes occur when nobody’s in charge.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

The test of this is whether face-to-face negotiations actually occur.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

“Does nothing occur to you?—Do not you recollect?—Harriet Smith.”

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023