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URL: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/occur

⇱ OCCUR Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

occur

American  
[uh-kur] / əˈkɜr /

verb (used without object)

occurred, occurring

  1. to happen; take place; come to pass.

    When did the accident occur?
    Synonyms:
    befall

  2. to be met with or found; present itself; appear.

    Modest amounts of fructose occur naturally in fruits and vegetables.
    Synonyms:
    offer, exist, arise

  3. to suggest itself in thought; come to mind (usually followed byto ).

    An idea occurred to me.
occur British  
/ əˈkɜː /

verb

  1. to happen; take place; come about

  2. to be found or be present; exist

  3. (foll by to) to be realized or thought of (by); suggest itself (to)

"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

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

Related Words

See happen.

Other Word Forms

  • preoccur verb (used without object)
  • reoccur verb (used without object)
  • unoccurring adjective

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”

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.

Although the findings are based on mouse studies, researchers believe similar effects could occur in humans.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

The majority of Easter Days occur in April, when the chance of snowfall drops to just 2.3 days.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said Friday the next launch attempt for the roughly 400-foot rocket would occur sometime in early to mid-May.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Peptides occur naturally in the body but break down quickly after serving their purpose.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

SABIO, MARIA: Ved, please provide all hypotheticals relative to the following question: What repercussions would occur if Ridge Sabio traveled back in time to Red Knot, Delaware, in the 1990s and arrived safely?

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

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.