recur

American  

[ri-kur] / rɪˈkɜr /

verb (used without object)

recurs, present (3rd person singular) recurred, past participle, past recurring present participle

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

2. to return to the mind.

   The idea kept recurring.

3. to come up again for consideration, as a question.

4. to have recourse.

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recur British  

/ rɪˈkɜː /

verb

1. to happen again, esp at regular intervals

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

3. (of a problem, etc) to come up again

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• recurring
  adjective
• recurringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• recurring
  present
• recurred
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• recur
  simple
• recurs
  simple
• have recurred
  perfect
• has recurred
  perfect
• am recurring
  progressive
• are recurring
  progressive
• is recurring
  progressive
• have been recurring
  perfect progressive
• has been recurring
  perfect progressive

Past

• recurred
  simple
• had recurred
  perfect
• was recurring
  progressive
• were recurring
  progressive
• had been recurring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will recur
  simple
• will have recurred
  perfect
• will be recurring
  progressive
• will have been recurring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of recur

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

Explanation

Have you ever had the same crazy dream night after night? If so, you know that dreams can recur, meaning they repeat, or happen again. The verb recur is used to describe something that happens over and over, whether it’s an injury, an argument, or a character who pops up from time to time on a television show. Recur often describes an event that happens repeatedly, but it can also be used to describe something, such as an image or a memory, that for some reason just keeps popping back up in your mind, like self-doubt that recurs every time you worry about something.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

recur recurs recurred recurring

These changes do not always mean cancer is present, but they should be evaluated if they continue or recur.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

Sirinya is worried that such a tragedy could recur "because there are so many of these pubs".

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

“I got the audition last year, about April,” Callan recalled, “just to recur. And I said, ‘This is silly, they’re not going to cast a Los Angeles actor to go recur in Massachusetts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Once fully built, data centers typically require relatively few employees to operate them, raising the prospect that at least some of the commerce that yielded this year’s mega-bonuses won’t recur.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

That illustrates an issue that will recur throughout this book.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Triple-negative breast cancer recurs and spreads after an average of around 2½ years, compared with five years for other breast cancers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

If the same pattern recurs, employment gains last month could be stronger than expected.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026

That conflict between “progress” and “tradition” has never been resolved, and recurs in every generation.

From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2025

This leads to a sudden reduction in downforce, so the car jumps up, only for the airflow to start working again, the car sucked back down until the same thing recurs.

From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025

I have one dream that recurs far too often.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Insurance company Allianz modeled how countries would fare if the five hottest years each experienced between 2014 and 2024 recurred in succession.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Adler also recurred on FX’s “Rescue Me” as fire chief Sidney Feinberg and appeared in series ranging from “Northern Exposure” and “Mad About You” to “Transparent” and “Broad City.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2025

As someone who has always had a masochistic streak, finding out that these sequences of cars speeding down darkened paths recurred in Lynch’s other works both delighted and horrified me.

From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2025

Cambridgeshire's area coroner Elizabeth Gray recorded a conclusion of death from natural causes, and said Bennell had a history of throat cancer from 2004, which recurred in 2016.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2024

Ernest’s colitis recurred in 1956, a flare-up he attributed largely to stress over the unresolved fate of Chromatic.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

The Somerset Parent Carer Forum surveyed its members, and said it was a "recurring concern" that there is a struggle to find holiday activities.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Excluding a one-off gain, the mid-point implies a recurring profit of about HK$4.85 billion, up 33% on year and beating HSBC’s estimates by 32%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Examinations of stranded whales have uncovered several recurring medical problems, including stomach ulcers.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

Firstly, the 43-year-old company has shifted in favor of offering free entry to many users, which Wood warned effectively brought recurring revenue growth down by about $500 million in its second quarter.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

When I do, I notice a tiny, recurring marker at the edge of each side of the cube.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Related Words

• persist
• reappear