occur
[uh-kur]
- to happen; take place; come to pass: When did the accident occur?
- to be met with or found; present itself; appear.
- to suggest itself in thought; come to mind (usually followed by to): An idea occurred to me.
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Origin of occur
Synonyms
See more synonyms for occur on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for occur
Contemporary Examples
Eating disorders, on the other hand, are driven largely by biological processes that occur on the inside.
But one extra trick would instantly solve the problem of crashes that occur over water.
They maintain that the initial radicalization tends to occur offline before it is then reinforced online.
We, on the other hand, on the police side, will naturally gear up to deal with any potential contingency that might occur.
Diagnosis of CTE is often considered to be specialized and has to occur at a designated institution like Boston University.
Historical Examples
It did not occur to him to question his fitness for the work.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
It did not occur to Joe that the white figure in the car was not Sidney.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
Zegarra gives a useful vocabulary at the end of all the words which occur in the drama.
Apu OllantayAnonymous
It never seemed to occur to her that any of her rulings might be questioned.
In the Midst of AlarmsRobert Barr
Just why this exception should occur is not explainable by any accepted rule.
Flying MachinesW.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
occur
- 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)
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin occurrere to run up to, from ob- to + currere to run
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
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
Word Origin and History for occur
v.
1520s, "meet, meet in argument," from Middle French occurrer "happen unexpectedly" or directly from Latin occurrere "run to meet, run against, befall, present itself," from ob "against, toward" (see ob-) + currere "to run" (see current (adj.)). Sense development is from "meet" to "present itself" to "appear" to "happen" ("present itself in the course of events"). Meaning "to come into one's mind" is from 1620s. Related: Occurred; occurring.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper