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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
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?
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Carriers with the largest volume incur the greatest debt service.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
Defenders of these campaigns also say that the nature of the illnesses involved meant the families could have incurred hefty bills for treatments or long-term care that wasn’t covered by insurance.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
With more costs incurred from the state for employee pensions and private pre-K, about $84 million in new county funding is requested for school system employees and services, Ball said.
—Kiersten Hacker, Baltimore Sun, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incur
Cite this Entry
“Incur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incur. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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incur
transitive verb
