incur

verb

in·​cur in-ˈkər How to pronounce incur (audio)
incurred; incurring

transitive verb

: to become liable or subject to : bring down upon oneself
incur expenses

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Incur vs. Occur

Incur bears a strong family resemblance to another English verb, occur. If you are confused by their similarities, a glance back at their Latin roots might help you to tell them apart.

Both words have a common root in Latin currere, meaning “to run.” In the case of incur, currere was combined with Latin in “into,” which produced the meaning “to run into.” In English, the one who incurs, or “runs into,” is most often a person and the thing incurred is usually some self-inflicted negative consequence (such as a debt or somebody’s foul temper). The ancestor of occur, by contrast, paired Latin ob “in the way” with currere, producing the basic meaning “to run in the way of,” or “to present itself.” In English, the verb came to apply strictly to events, things, or ideas; something (such as a tornado) that occurs, or “presents itself,” appears or happens; a thought that occurs, or “presents itself” to someone, comes into that person’s mind.

To summarize: a person (or something composed of people, like a company) incurs, or becomes subject to, something negative; something occurs, or happens, or an idea occurs to, or comes into the mind of, someone.

Examples of incur in a Sentence

Submitting students to the rigors of learning seemed only to incur the wrath of many of them … Ben Marcus, Time, 8 Jan. 2001
Shakespeare … took plots and characters from wherever he pleased, rarely acknowledging sources, and he saw so little sanctity in his own words that anyone could print them who cared to incur the expense—which did not include royalties to Shakespeare. Walter Kendrick, New York Times Book Review, 29 Oct. 1989
To be too good-looking is sometimes to incur the dislike, if not the hatred, of the ordinary-looking. Joseph Epstein, The Middle of My Tether, 1983
What did he do to incur such wrath?
Recent Examples on the Web The increase in operating expenses is primarily due to additional costs incurred to operate Newswire, as well as an increase in bad debt expense and amortization expense attributed to intangible assets related to the Newswire acquisition. Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 The super-senior was on track to earn first-team All-America honors before incurring a knee bruise that’s kept him from playing in four of the last six games. Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 Radar is great for detecting changes in density, but its signal incurs significant losses in wet snow and ice. IEEE Spectrum, 4 Mar. 2024 The company expects to incur about $20 million to $25 million of non-recurring charges as a result of the layoffs. Natalie Lung, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 Ignoring regulations not only incurs financial penalties but also damages public trust irreparably. Nandan Sheth, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The rule change would apply to costs incurred between June 11, 2021, and May 11, 2023, a letter from FEMA reported by CalMatters shows. Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 27 Feb. 2024 Beyond supporting the military, the American public has rarely been willing to incur substantial overseas costs for national security objectives. Peter E. Harrell, Foreign Affairs, 26 Feb. 2024 In a statement, Mr. Cooper said customers who couldn’t make payments as a result of the cyberattack would not incur penalties, late fees or negative credit reporting. Nerdwallet, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English incurren, from Latin incurrere, literally, to run into, from in- + currere to run — more at car

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of incur was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near incur

Cite this Entry

“Incur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incur. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

incur

verb
in·​cur in-ˈkər How to pronounce incur (audio)
incurred; incurring
1
: to meet with (as an inconvenience)
incur expenses
2
: to bring upon oneself
incur punishment
Etymology

from Latin incurrere "to meet with," literally, "to run into," from in- "in, into" and currere "to run" — related to current, occur

Legal Definition

incur

transitive verb
in·​cur in-ˈkər How to pronounce incur (audio)
incurred; incurring
: to become liable or subject to : bring down upon oneself
incur obligations
incur expenses

More from Merriam-Webster on incur

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