English Dictionary | Thesaurus | Translator | COBUILD Grammar Patterns | Scrabble | Blog
  • English
  • This page in
    American
    Italiano
    Deutsch
    Español
    Português
    हिंदी
    简体中文
| Sign Up | Log In
 
English
Menu
English Dictionary Thesaurus Translator Grammar Scrabble Blog
  • English
  • This page in
    American
    Italiano
    Deutsch
    Español
    Português
    हिंदी
    简体中文
Sign Up Log In

Definition of 'occur'

Word Frequency

occur

(əkɜːʳ )
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense occurs , present participle occurring , past tense, past participle occurred
1. verb
When something occurs, it happens.
If headaches only occur at night, lack of fresh air and oxygen is often the cause. [VERB]
The crash occurred when the crew shut down the wrong engine. [VERB]
In March 1770, there occurred what became known as the Boston Massacre.
2. verb
When something occurs in a particular place, it exists or is present there.
The cattle disease occurs more or less anywhere in Africa where the fly occurs. [VERB adverb/preposition]
These snails do not occur on low-lying coral islands or atolls. [VERB adverb/preposition]
3. verb [no passive, no cont]
If a thought or idea occurs to you, you suddenly think of it or realize it.
It did not occur to me to check my insurance policy. [V to n to-inf]
It occurred to me that I could have the book sent to me. [it V to n that]
The same idea had occurred to Elizabeth. [VERB + to]
More Synonyms of occur
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Video: pronunciation of 'occur'

Word Frequency

occur in British

(əˈkɜː )
verb -curs, -curring or -curred (intransitive)
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)
▶ 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
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'occur'
C16: from Latin occurrere to run up to, from ob- to + currere to run
Word Frequency

occur in American

(əˈkɜr ; əkʉrˈ)
verb intransitiveWord forms: ocˈcurred or ocˈcurring
1. 
to be found; exist
fish occur in most waters
2. 
to present itself; come to mind
an idea occurred to him
3. 
to take place; happen
SIMILAR WORDS:  ˈhappen
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 'occur'
L occurrere, to run, come up to, meet < ob- (see ob-) + currere, to run: see current

Example sentences containing 'occur'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
With the increased number of flights there is more potential for crashes to occur. The Sun (2014)Repeat this for each radiator but air pockets often occur in only one or two radiators. The Sun (2010)The second is less common and occurs at rest and is known as unstable angina. Wallace, Louise M & Bundy, Christine Coping with Angina (1990)This new technology means these can be detected in time to stop the disease occurring. The Sun (2012)That seemed odd until the thought occurred that maybe it was a ploy. Times, Sunday Times (2009)The look they seek does not occur anywhere in nature. Times, Sunday Times (2013)Two incidents occurred that night that are important to record. Alexander Masters STUART: A Life Backwards (2005)The crash occurred on a straight section of road. Times, Sunday Times (2013) Often the misconduct occurred in the course of a counseling relationship. Christianity Today (2000)The disease did not occur randomly across the life cycle. Rotundo, E. Anthony American Manhood: Transformations in Masculinity from the Revolution to the Modern Era (1993)Suddenly a new thought occurred to me. Times, Sunday Times (2007)Now attacks only occur at night or under cloud cover. Times, Sunday Times (2013)Injuries often occur because the muscles surrounding the spine are too weak to support it. Sally Gunnell, Kathryn Leigh BE YOUR BEST: How Anyone can become Fit, Healthy and Confident (2002)Keep an eye out for rust which is an airborne fungal disease that occurs during damp and warm periods. Times, Sunday Times (2013)People with dark skin get these more commonly than those with fair skin and these scars can occur anywhere on the body. Times, Sunday Times (2009)But freak weather does occur, and less often here than in some countries. Times, Sunday Times (2008)He paused for a moment, as if a new thought had suddenly occurred to him. Times, Sunday Times (2012)This condition can occur anywhere on the body, but is more common on the scalp. The Sun (2011)

Trends of 'occur'

Extremely Common. occur is one of the 1000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

View usage for:

Translations for 'occur'

British English: occur /əˈkɜː/ VERB
When an event occurs, it happens.
The crash occurred on a bend in the road.
  • American English: occur
  • Arabic: يَقَعُ
  • Brazilian Portuguese: ocorrer
  • Chinese: 发生
  • Croatian: dogoditi se
  • Czech: nastat
  • Danish: optræde
  • Dutch: gebeuren
  • European Spanish: ocurrir
  • Finnish: tapahtua
  • French: se produire
  • German: geschehen
  • Greek: συμβαίνω
  • Italian: accadere
  • Japanese: 起こる
  • Korean: 발생하다
  • Norwegian: inntreffe
  • Polish: zdarzyć się
  • European Portuguese: ocorrer
  • Romanian: a se întâmpla
  • Russian: случаться
  • Spanish: ocurrir
  • Swedish: inträffa
  • Thai: เกิดขึ้น
  • Turkish: olmak
  • Ukrainian: траплятися
  • Vietnamese: xảy ra

Translate your text for free

Nearby words of 'occur'

  • occupier
  • occupies
  • occupy
  • occur
  • occurred
  • occurrence
  • occurrent

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'O'

Related Terms of 'occur'

  • co-occur

Source

Definition of occur from the Collins English Dictionary

Comparison

The comparative form of an adjective is commonly used to compare two people, things, or states, when you want to say that one thing has a larger or smaller amount of a quality than another. If the s...
Read more about 'Comparison'
Word of the day:
Gaia
the goddess of the earth, who bore Uranus and by him Oceanus , Cronus , and the Titans
See full definition
Apr 22, 2018
Fed up with the great British weather? Here’s how to afford that dream summer escape
From planning early to knowing where to look, these top tips will help you fulfil your summer holiday desires
Read more
The etymology behind 4 eggs-ellent Springtime words
We’ve explored the diverse etymology of 4 eggs-ellent words associated with spring.
Read more
Up Lit, Alexa Laugh & Meet Me at McDonald’s Hair: March’s Words In The News
Catch up on the latest words in the news this March with Robert Groves.
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Scrabble score for 'occur': 9
Latest Word Submissions
Barrecore Apr 18, 2018
wido Apr 18, 2018
centimorgan Apr 17, 2018
gender expansive Apr 16, 2018
Carthritis Apr 15, 2018
Submit View More
Browse the English Dictionary
  • #
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z
View all dictionaries...
  • View more
  • API
  • B2B Partnerships
  • Advertising
  • Word Banks
  • Collins COBUILD
  • Collins ELT
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact us
  • Languages
  • English
  • Thesaurus
  • Grammar
  • French
  • German
  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • Chinese
  • Portuguese
  • Hindi
  • Word Lists
  • Word of the Year
  • Scrabble
  • COBUILD Anniversary
© Collins 2018