occur
Americanverb (used without object)
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)
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
Synonym Usage
See happen.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
occursimple
-
occurssimple
-
have occurredperfect
-
has occurredperfect
-
am occurringprogressive
-
are occurringprogressive
-
is occurringprogressive
-
have been occurringperfect progressive
-
has been occurringperfect progressive
Past
-
occurredsimple
-
had occurredperfect
-
was occurringprogressive
-
were occurringprogressive
-
had been occurringperfect progressive
Future
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”
Explanation
Use the verb occur when an event or a thought happens, like when it occurs to you that you've left home without your umbrella. Maybe you didn't hear the forecast that showers would occur this afternoon. The verb occur comes from the Latin, occurrere, “to meet” or “to present itself.” When something occurs, it comes into being, like a thought that seems to present itself from out of the blue, like when it suddenly occurs to you that you forgot to ask your guests if they'd like a cup of tea, or that it would never occur to your Mother that some people spend a small fortune on handbags. Events can also occur, meaning "take place," like a meeting that will occur tomorrow.
Vocabulary lists containing occur
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Make a Run for It: Cur, Curs
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 4
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
In any case, it could be smart to establish some low-cost, out-of-the-money positions in case a VIX explosion does occur.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 9, 2026
Much of this loss will occur in India: Since record-keeping began in 1901, the country has experienced 10 of its warmest years in the past 15 years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026
While advocates for court reporters say humans can still do the job better than machines, the fact that many hearings occur without any official transcript at all has drawn concern from top state officials.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026
The researchers hope the findings will help scientists better understand where powerful earthquakes and tsunamis are most likely to occur.
From Science Daily • Jul. 5, 2026
Not one thing happens that Heimdall does not see, and sometimes he sees events that have yet to occur in the world.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
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.
