Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of recurrence
Explanation
If something is happening yet again, there's a recurrence of it. Most sports fans hope there isn't a recurrence of last year's losing season. If you keep getting a hacking cough, then you're having a recurrence — that cough just keeps coming back. The word recurrence has to do with things that repeat or return, often at predictable times. If your dog barks at the same time every day, your neighbors might complain about the recurrence of noise. A note on using this word: reoccurrence means basically the same thing, but recurrence is considered a more stylish choice.
Vocabulary lists containing recurrence
"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce
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"Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving
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Vocabulary from Woodrow Wilson's "Fourteen Points" (1918)
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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 report described the recommendations as "robust" and said they "should minimise the likelihood of a recurrence or similar tragedy".
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
The discovery could eventually help researchers develop approaches that encourage healthy tissue repair while also reducing the risk of cancer recurrence.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Experts hope that understanding the events of August 26 will lead to the development of tools capable of predicting a recurrence.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
While the trial data will be shared at a coming conference, the companies said patients given the personalized vaccine alongside Merck’s Keytruda were significantly less likely to experience melanoma recurrence than those on Keytruda alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
“I issued immediate orders to prevent any recurrence of such conduct,” he wrote, “and called the local commanders to strict account.”
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
The aim is to destroy cancers and prevent recurrences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 16, 2025
The scientists showed how the immune cells could eliminate a deadly brain tumor called glioblastoma and prevent recurrences.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2024
Abalkina refers to the company’s inability to prevent such recurrences as “whack-a-mole.”
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 5, 2023
Its emotional match may be Evangelista's determination to reclaim her career after surviving a financially devastating divorce, recurrences of cancer and permanent disfigurement related to a cosmetic procedure.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2023
Multiple recurrences of the disease kept his heart weak and his health precarious.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
