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.
See Examples For:
The maximum air temperatures in Scotland usually occur in July and August, whereas sea temperatures are at the warmest in August and September.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Also called a cumulonimbus flammagenitus, they can occur during volcanic eruptions or, as in this case, when a wildfire roasts the air near the ground, causing it to rise quickly.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Ramachandran said current evidence has not yet demonstrated that those expected savings actually occur.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
But the rising volatility could occur before October — maybe in early August, like what happened in 2024.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Gradually, a specialization process began to occur and music became a regular subject with its own certification, an educational tradition that continues to this day.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Experts say that when a food-borne outbreak occurs, the public understandably wants to know which product is causing the illness, where it came from and how to protect themselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
It occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy joint tissue, causing pain, swelling, stiffness, and progressive damage.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
To account for that possibility, a trader’s best strategy is to buy short-term volatility and roll it over until an explosion occurs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Maybe Congress should flip their approach: Enforce strict consequences after a violation occurs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Except that, it occurs to me, I would care if it were me or my friends.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
Public records show that Eric, Mia and Elijah Bieniemy currently reside at a house with an address on the block where the incident allegedly occurred.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
"But some will not and therefore there is a legal right for us to provide the value of that house before this incident occurred to families so that they can find their own accommodation elsewhere."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Their brains activated the later microglial program, but this response occurred largely without being tied to tau accumulation.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
The damage occurred mid-morning on the Fourth of July, the report said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Although he was ready to call it a day after so much excitement and emotion, it suddenly occurred to Duane that he never saw the finished painting.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Only male mosquitoes – infected with the naturally occurring bacteria Wolbachia – are released.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Piper Sandler’s Johnson sees this action warning of “a potential correction pullback occurring this summer.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026
It’s occurring more often, and it’s partly a result of higher production costs and tighter budgets.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
The ICC lacks a jurisdictional path over conduct occurring entirely within China, unless the United Nations Security Council refers the situation to the ICC.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
What was any of this compared to what was occurring in other kingdoms?
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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.
