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 This is done to control premium costs for everyone by using the lower costs incurred by healthy participants to keep in check the higher costs incurred by unhealthy participants. Stephanie Armour | Kff Health News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2024 The settlement will cover the federal costs incurred to respond to the disaster, including clearing the bridge and ship debris to reopen the Fort McHenry Shipping Channel in June. Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 That includes material expenditures incurred or expected to address those risks. Joan Michelson, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024 Voluntarily incurring a delay of game penalty would normally draw confusion or ire from a team’s legion of fans, but not this time. Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 19 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for incur 

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 31 Oct. 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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