occurrence
Americannoun
-
occurrences
plural
-
the action, fact, or instance of occurring.
-
something that happens; event; incident.
We were delayed by several unexpected occurrences.
- Synonyms:
- circumstance
noun
-
something that occurs; a happening; event
-
the act or an instance of occurring
a crime of frequent occurrence
Synonym Usage
See event.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of occurrence
1530–40; < Latin occurrent-, stem of occurrēns (present participle of occurrere “to run up to, run to meet”), from oc- (variant of ob- ; see ob- ( def. )) + currere “to run” + -ence; compare Medieval Latin occurrentia
Explanation
An occurrence is an instance of something or a time when something happens. If you get migraines, the doctor might ask how many occurrences of the headache you have in a month. An occurrence is an instance of something that happens repeatedly. The occurrence of Lyme disease is more frequent in New England than it is in other parts of the country. As soon as authorities see an occurrence of rabies, they send warnings out to people who live in the area. Sometimes though, an occurrence is a single event or an incident. If you and your friend saw a ghost in the cemetery, that would be quite an occurrence!
Vocabulary lists containing occurrence
Make a Run for It: Cur, Curs
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 4
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
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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:
Four and a half months into my incarceration, in an incredibly rare occurrence in our legal system, three federal judges ordered my immediate release after hearing oral arguments in my appeal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Monsoon-related disasters are an annual occurrence across India after the region's long summers when many parts of the country face water scarcity and drought.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The most recent occurrence, in late 2015 and early 2016, resulted in an estimated $3.9 trillion in economic losses worldwide, though the U.S. escaped relatively unscathed.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Price hikes at Disneyland are a regular occurrence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
The book examines how individuals and institutions—victims, perpetrators, and bystanders—know about yet deny the occurrence of oppressive acts.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Not exactly encouraging is how these rogue occurrences happened at companies that should have had the best handle on guardrails, Crawford said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Foodborne disease outbreaks caused by viruses, bacteria like E. coli, or microscopic parasites like Cyclospora are fairly regular occurrences.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Documenting such occurrences can bolster your allegation of ageism.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
Abrupt, unwelcome occurrences scar our autonomy and cripple our illusion of independence; the question of what went wrong falls on our shoulders, another loop to languish inside.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
The first is about when Jackie Robinson went to the MLB and the world of possibility it opened, but as they progress, Great-Grampy JonJon details occurrences that match Uncle Jack’s story.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
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.
