occur
Americanverb (used without object)
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occurs,
present (3rd person singular)
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occurred,
past participle, past
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occurring
present participle
verb
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to happen; take place; come about
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to be found or be present; exist
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(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
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occursimple
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occurssimple
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have occurredperfect
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has occurredperfect
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am occurringprogressive
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are occurringprogressive
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is occurringprogressive
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have been occurringperfect progressive
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has been occurringperfect progressive
Past
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occurredsimple
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had occurredperfect
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was occurringprogressive
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were occurringprogressive
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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
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Make a Run for It: Cur, Curs
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 4
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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:
The researchers also examined data from people with triple-negative breast cancer to determine whether the same biological pattern might occur in humans.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
According to Jason Goepfert, a veteran technical analyst, when 11 or more Omens occur during a three-month period, it has in the past been a reliable harbinger of weakness to come.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
This remark was a nod to a possible second by-election in Clacton, which could occur as a result of an investigation into Farage by Parliament's standards commissioner.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
“But I think it’s got to occur naturally.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
“You traded the last of the water for keys? Did it occur to you that we could hotwire it—or run the hell away from here and find another truck? One that actually has air-conditioning?”
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
“The immigration laws enacted by Congress impose consequences when someone who has accrued unlawful presence, leaves the country and later seeks admission, including when that departure occurs under advance parole,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
As his father reminds John during a venting session that occurs after Hal nonchalantly almost kills him, “They’re allowed to have tantrums. We’re not.”
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Prof Ramesh says a CME occurs when these twisting, looping lines - which resemble braided hair - rupture, throwing out massive clouds of magnetised plasma and gas in space.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
There is a seasonal “spring bounce” that occurs when people shop ahead of the summer, possibly flush with an income-tax refund.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
And it occurs to me that even in these do-or-die moments, there’s still space for us to laugh.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
A police spokesperson said the incident they were investigating occurred at a hotel on Wellington Parade in the early hours of Sunday morning.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Depending on who is doing the calculating, whether or not an Omen occurred on a given day can vary.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
The 2020 killing of Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Jackson, occurred when Jester was 15 years old, according to a sentencing memo written by prosecutors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
In those simulations, the tipping point occurred at approximately 2.5°C of global warming.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
As he walked off, it occurred to me that in the course of a single night, my mission had become extremely more complicated.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
“Any use of Mr. Daniels’ NIL occurring after LSU’s receipt of this notice will be deemed knowing and willful and will be pursued vigorously through all available legal and equitable remedies.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Thursday's planned executions are occurring amid a steady decline of support for the death penalty.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
But in a job market filled with competing signals, this is a big one: Workers’ worries about losing a job to AI don’t match the scale of AI displacement that does seem to be occurring.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
The stress among private-credit borrowers is occurring while the U.S. economy is performing well, a possible warning sign that losses could jump sharply if growth abates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
This too important to be occurring to me the day before.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
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.
