oc·ca·sion
ə-ˈkā-zhən 
1
: a favorable opportunity or circumstance
did not have occasion to talk with them
2
a
: a state of affairs that provides a ground or reason
The occasion of the discord was their mutual intolerance.
b
: an occurrence or condition that brings something about
especially
: the immediate inciting circumstance as distinguished from the fundamental cause
His insulting remark was the occasion of a bitter quarrel.
3
4
a
: a need arising from a particular circumstance
knowledge for which he will never have any occasion—
C. H. Grandgent
C. H. Grandgent
b
archaic
: a personal want or need
—usually used in plural
5
6
: a special event or ceremony : celebration
birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions
Synonyms
Examples of occasion in a Sentence
Noun
When versatility is fashion's best justification, the idea of a beautiful lace blouse or dress that can step up to a special occasion and then look just as good under a man-tailored jacket or a fine-gauge long-line cardigan the next day is persuasive.
—S. Mower, Vogue, September 2008
On several occasions, people have observed dark, kilometer-wide bands on the ocean surface as tsunamis approached or passed by …
—S. Perkins, Science News, 21 Feb. 2004
Not so long ago, Rolling Stone's David Fricke asked the late Kurt Cobain whom he admired among "established" rock bands. Cobain unhesitatingly named R.E.M., using the occasion to send the band members a virtual mash note for remaining true to their muse and to themselves and for refusing to be swayed by the shifting winds of fashion and commerciality.
—Robert Palmer, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 1994
To publish a definitive collection of short stories in one's late 60s seems to me, as an American writer, a traditional and a dignified occasion, eclipsed in no way by the fact that a great many of the stories in my current collection were written in my underwear.
—John Cheever, in Ann Charters, The Story and Its Writer, 1987
birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions
They marked the occasion with their families.
She wrote a song especially for the occasion.
Roses are the perfect flower for any occasion.
On the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary, they took a vacation to Paris.
We had occasion to watch her perform last summer.
The boys never had occasion to meet each other.
She never found an occasion to suggest her ideas.
He took the occasion to make an announcement.
Verb
It was that desire that occasioned a trip to Berlin this spring: a desire to wander through the city's arty demimonde and to eat beside its residents …
—Sam Sifton, New York Times, 22 June 2008
"I made bow ties," Sally says very assuredly, after the long silence occasioned by my unwanted kiss, during which we both realized we are not about to head upstairs for any fun.
—Richard Ford, Independence Day, 1996
the announcement concerning the change in scheduling occasioned much confusion
S. Mower, Vogue, September 2008
On several occasions, people have observed dark, kilometer-wide bands on the ocean surface as tsunamis approached or passed by …
—S. Perkins, Science News, 21 Feb. 2004
Not so long ago, Rolling Stone's David Fricke asked the late Kurt Cobain whom he admired among "established" rock bands. Cobain unhesitatingly named R.E.M., using the occasion to send the band members a virtual mash note for remaining true to their muse and to themselves and for refusing to be swayed by the shifting winds of fashion and commerciality.
—Robert Palmer, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 1994
To publish a definitive collection of short stories in one's late 60s seems to me, as an American writer, a traditional and a dignified occasion, eclipsed in no way by the fact that a great many of the stories in my current collection were written in my underwear.
—John Cheever, in Ann Charters, The Story and Its Writer, 1987
birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions
They marked the occasion with their families.
She wrote a song especially for the occasion.
Roses are the perfect flower for any occasion.
On the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary, they took a vacation to Paris.
We had occasion to watch her perform last summer.
The boys never had occasion to meet each other.
She never found an occasion to suggest her ideas.
He took the occasion to make an announcement.
Verb
It was that desire that occasioned a trip to Berlin this spring: a desire to wander through the city's arty demimonde and to eat beside its residents …
—Sam Sifton, New York Times, 22 June 2008
"I made bow ties," Sally says very assuredly, after the long silence occasioned by my unwanted kiss, during which we both realized we are not about to head upstairs for any fun.
—Richard Ford, Independence Day, 1996
the announcement concerning the change in scheduling occasioned much confusion
Recent Examples on the WebKirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
And with a quick dismissal almost inevitable, the Senate never even set up the chamber for the occasion, which usually includes tables on each side for the impeachment managers and defense lawyers.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 18 Apr. 2024
Since the beginning of this year, a hacktivist group known as the Cyber Army of Russia, or sometimes Cyber Army of Russia Reborn, has taken credit on at least three occasions for hacking operations that targeted US and European water and hydroelectric utilities.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
Butler topped 20 points on 20 occasions in his first 38 games this season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
And in 2019, on at least two occasions, female runners received lifetime bans by local organizers after being caught riding a bike during half- and full-marathon events.
—TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
Shoppers style the knit dress with everything from flip-flops to heels for both casual and dressy occasions.
—Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2024
But this year, the cause for celebration was twofold: The event also marked the magazine’s 20th anniversary, and to honor the occasion, T’s editor in chief, Hanya Yanagihara, commissioned the Parisian multidisciplinary artist Ramdane Touhami to oversee the party’s design.
—Laura May Todd, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2024
During the opening of the Paris Aquatics Centre on April 4 ahead of the Olympics this year, three of France's competing divers marked the occasion with an inaugural dive, according to NBC News.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
Tyler Kingkade, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Exactly what is driving this deceleration has occasioned much debate, as have the possible remedies—but a new security law in Hong Kong is not one of them.
—Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2024
For Vulcan, the delays have been occasioned by the payload and the rocket's main engines.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2023
The prospect of a visit by Suzanne Mubarak, then the first lady, occasions the installation of desktop computers, a fresh coat of paint, new flooring in the reading room, and an inspection visit by the minister of culture.
—Alan Mikhail, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023
The clips have occasioned shock and delight from U.S. fans.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2023
In the wake of Roth’s death in 2018, alongside the triumphant hagiographies, further reconsiderations of misogyny in his writing were composed, and new ones were occasioned by the Bailey scandal.
—Hannah Gold, Harper's Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023
Throughout the poem flutter phrases that seem to have been occasioned by sightings of U.F.O.s.
—Kamran Javadizadeh, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
In recent years, the brand’s drumbeat of annual dolls, each immortalizing a different American place and time, has occasioned waves of American Girl history memes that ironically call for brand enshrinement of absurd or personal moments in history.
—Lizzie Feidelson, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
Noun
On those occasions when Leitner had a football/basketball conflict, Schaeffer subbed in on basketball broadcasts.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
And with a quick dismissal almost inevitable, the Senate never even set up the chamber for the occasion, which usually includes tables on each side for the impeachment managers and defense lawyers.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 18 Apr. 2024
Since the beginning of this year, a hacktivist group known as the Cyber Army of Russia, or sometimes Cyber Army of Russia Reborn, has taken credit on at least three occasions for hacking operations that targeted US and European water and hydroelectric utilities.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
Butler topped 20 points on 20 occasions in his first 38 games this season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
And in 2019, on at least two occasions, female runners received lifetime bans by local organizers after being caught riding a bike during half- and full-marathon events.
—TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
Shoppers style the knit dress with everything from flip-flops to heels for both casual and dressy occasions.
—Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2024
But this year, the cause for celebration was twofold: The event also marked the magazine’s 20th anniversary, and to honor the occasion, T’s editor in chief, Hanya Yanagihara, commissioned the Parisian multidisciplinary artist Ramdane Touhami to oversee the party’s design.
—Laura May Todd, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2024
During the opening of the Paris Aquatics Centre on April 4 ahead of the Olympics this year, three of France's competing divers marked the occasion with an inaugural dive, according to NBC News.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
Verb
Four of the men — ages 30 to 51 — were charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, cruelty to child and assault at common law.
—Tyler Kingkade, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Exactly what is driving this deceleration has occasioned much debate, as have the possible remedies—but a new security law in Hong Kong is not one of them.
—Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2024
For Vulcan, the delays have been occasioned by the payload and the rocket's main engines.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2023
The prospect of a visit by Suzanne Mubarak, then the first lady, occasions the installation of desktop computers, a fresh coat of paint, new flooring in the reading room, and an inspection visit by the minister of culture.
—Alan Mikhail, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023
The clips have occasioned shock and delight from U.S. fans.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2023
In the wake of Roth’s death in 2018, alongside the triumphant hagiographies, further reconsiderations of misogyny in his writing were composed, and new ones were occasioned by the Bailey scandal.
—Hannah Gold, Harper's Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023
Throughout the poem flutter phrases that seem to have been occasioned by sightings of U.F.O.s.
—Kamran Javadizadeh, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
In recent years, the brand’s drumbeat of annual dolls, each immortalizing a different American place and time, has occasioned waves of American Girl history memes that ironically call for brand enshrinement of absurd or personal moments in history.
—Lizzie Feidelson, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'occasion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near occasion
Cite this Entry
“Occasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occasion. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
occasion
1 of 2 noun
oc·ca·sion
ə-ˈkā-zhən
1
: a favorable opportunity : a good chance
sorry not to have had occasion to meet them
2
: a situation that provides a reason
an occasion for rejoicing
3
: something that brings about an event
the remark was the occasion of a bitter quarrel
4
: a time at which something happens
on the occasion of the wedding
5
: a need that arises
have occasion to travel
6
: a special event or ceremony : celebration
a big occasion
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share