event

noun \ i-ˈvent \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of event

1 a archaic : outcome

b : the final outcome or determination of a legal action

c : a postulated outcome, condition, or eventuality

in the event that I am not there, call the house

2 a : something that happens : occurrence

b : a noteworthy happening

c : a social occasion or activity

d : an adverse or damaging medical occurrence

a heart attack or other cardiac event

3 : any of the contests in a program of sports

4 : the fundamental entity of observed physical reality represented by a point designated by three coordinates of place and one of time in the space-time continuum postulated by the theory of relativity

5 : a subset of the possible outcomes of an experiment

—

eventless

play \i-ˈvent-ləs\ adjective

— at all events

: in any case

— in any event

: in any case

— in the event

chiefly British

: as it turns out

See event defined for English-language learners

See event defined for kids

Examples of event in a Sentence

The article recounted the events of the past year.
the last major event of the summer
He had no memory of the events that happened afterwards.
The accident was caused by an unusual sequence of events.
She likes to arrive at social events early.
It's the only event on the golf tour that she hasn't yet won.

Recent Examples of event from the Web

This calendar includes events taking place in Plantation, Sunrise, Lauderhill, Tamarac, and Lauderdale Lakes between April 18-28.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Plantation and Sunrise area events, April 18-28," 17 Apr. 2018
The Hotel Revival won’t officially open in Mount Vernon until May 3, but some people already are trickling through the doors and booking small gathering spaces for business and personal events.

— meredith cohn, baltimoresun.com, "Hotel Revival, Baltimore's newest boutique hotel, debuts in Mount Vernon. Take a look inside.," 17 Apr. 2018
No doubt, Taya Valkyrie will still be the best-dressed for all events.

— jim varsallone, miamiherald, "Impact Wrestling pay-per-view, TV tapings, bowling, golf in Orlando in April | Miami Herald," 17 Apr. 2018
For diners, Resy Select is the company’s new loyalty program, touting exclusive booking windows for landing hard-to-get reservations, waitlist priority, early access to event tickets, and other experiences, like meeting a favorite chef.

— rachel king, Fortune, "Resy Says It Has a New Plan to Turn Tables Better and Help Diners Nab Hard-to-Get Reservations," 17 Apr. 2018
Other issues fans have are the lack of West Ham colours and branding, the neutral looking white seats, other events taking priority over home fixtures and shocking stewarding.

— SI.com, "FanView: Why West Ham United Need Boardroom Change in Order to Propel the Club to the 'Next Level'," 17 Apr. 2018
Here are five ways to view a meteor shower or other celestial event near you.

— anne ryman, azcentral, "How to spot Lyrids, Eta Aquarid meteor showers over Arizona," 17 Apr. 2018
In addition, the box office is open 90 minutes before events.

— milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Oconomowoc High School Players present Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’," 17 Apr. 2018
The competition features 12 age divisions vying to become national champions in the all-around, as well as in four events: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.

— luann gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "Junior Olympics National Championships headed to Cincinnati," 17 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'event.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of event

Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin eventus, from evenire to happen, from e- + venire to come — more at come

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1549

See Words from the same year

event Synonyms

Synonyms

bout, competition, contest, game, match, matchup, meet, sweepstakes (also sweep-stake), tournament, tourney;

Related Words

athletics, sport;

battle, conflict, scrimmage, skirmish, struggle, tug-of-war, tussle;

championship, national(s);

final, play-off, semifinal;

derby, field day, open, outing;

biathlon, decathlon, heptathlon, pentathlon, triathlon;

marathon, race, ultramarathon;

heat, round, run, set;

rally, volley;

round-robin, rubber, runoff, sudden death;

dead heat, photo finish, seesaw;

classic;

Synonym Discussion of event

occurrence, event, incident, episode, circumstance mean something that happens or takes place. occurrence may apply to a happening without intent, volition, or plan.

- an encounter that was a chance occurrence

event usually implies an occurrence of some importance and frequently one having antecedent cause.

- the events following the assassination

incident suggests an occurrence of brief duration or secondary importance.

- a minor wartime incident

episode stresses the distinctiveness or apartness of an incident.

- a brief romantic episode in a life devoted to work

circumstance implies a specific detail attending an action or event as part of its setting or background.

- couldn't recall the exact circumstances

EVENT Defined for English Language Learners

event

noun

Definition of event for English Language Learners

: something (especially something important or notable) that happens
: a planned occasion or activity (such as a social gathering)
: any one of the contests in a sports program

EVENT Defined for Kids

event

noun \ i-ˈvent \

Definition of event for Students

1 : something important or notable that happens

historical events

2 : a social occasion (as a party)

3 : the fact of happening

in the event of rain

4 : a contest in a program of sports

Olympic events

Word Root of event

The Latin word venīre, meaning “to come,” and its form ventus give us the roots ven and vent. Words from the Latin venīre have something to do with coming. To invent is to come up with a new idea or device that no one has thought of before. To convene is to come together for a purpose. An event is an occasion when many people come together.