recur

[ ri-kur ]

/ rɪˈkɜr /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR recur ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), re·curred, re·cur·ring.

to occur again, as an event, experience, etc.

to return to the mind: The idea kept recurring.

to come up again for consideration, as a question.

to have recourse.

Nearby words

Origin of recur

1610–20; earlier: to recede < Latin recurrere to run back, equivalent to re- re- + currere to run

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for recur

Stephen Fry will recur as British Prime Minister Alastair Davies.
Jack Bauer Is Back, Dammit! A Primer For ‘24: Live Another Day’|Chancellor Agard|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But he had undergone a major arm operation last season—the sort that, it is feared, could recur with overexertion.
What NFL Could Learn From Washington Nationals About Treating Injured|Kent Sepkowitz|October 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“A psychotic episode could recur if he were released back into the community,” said the psychologist, Douglas Coggins.
What Aurora Victims Might Face if James Holmes Pleaded Insane|Michael Daly|August 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Such situations will likely recur throughout much of the country in the general-election campaign.
Is Super PACs’ Influence on the 2012 Presidential Election Overhyped?|Ben Jacobs|February 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Others, left unfinished, but partly matured, will recur to your attention without needing a renewal of notice from me.
State of the Union Addresses of John Quincy Adams|John Quincy Adams
Their being agents now congruous with my will gives me no guarantee that like results will recur again from their activity.
Essays in Radical Empiricism|William James
But there is one person of whom we have not spoken for some time, and to whom we must now recur,—no other than Corporal Luco.
The Bee Hunters|Gustave Aimard
I am not sure that any one but the historian of anatomical science is ever likely to recur to them.
Hugh Miller|William Keith Leask
To recur once more, sir, to the valuable consideration which it is pretended we received for these claims.
Thirty Years' View (Vol. I of 2)|Thomas Hart Benton

British Dictionary definitions for recur

recur

/ (rɪˈkɜː) /

verb -curs, -curring or -curred (intr)

to happen again, esp at regular intervals

(of a thought, idea, etc) to come back to the mind

(of a problem, etc) to come up again

maths (of a digit or group of digits) to be repeated an infinite number of times at the end of a decimal fraction

Derived Formsrecurring, adjectiverecurringly, adverb

Word Origin for recur

C15: from Latin recurrere, from re- + currere to run

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 recur

recur

late 14c., "recover from illness or suffering;" mid-15c., "to return" (to a place), from Latin recurrere "to return, run back, hasten back," figuratively "revert, recur," from re- "back, again" (see re-) + currere "to run" (see current (adj.)). Originally of persons; application to thoughts, ideas, etc. is recorded from 1620s. Meaning "happen again" is from 1670s. Related: Recurred; recurring.

Medicine definitions for recur

recur

[ rĭ-kûr′ ]

v.

To happen, come up, or show up again or repeatedly.

To return to one's attention or memory.

recur

verb (used without object), re·curred, re·cur·ring.

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Nearby words

Origin of recur

Examples from the Web for recur

recur

verb -curs, -curring or -curred (intr)

Word Origin for recur

recur

recur

v.