occasion

noun

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oc·ca·sion | \ ə-ˈkā-zhən

Definition of occasion

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a favorable opportunity or circumstance did not have occasion to talk with them

2a : 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.

3a : happening, incident Everybody has been terribly kind since my recent sad occasion.— Thomas Kelly

b : a time at which something happens : instance on the occasion of his daughter's wedding

4a : a need arising from a particular circumstance knowledge for which he will never have any occasion— C. H. Grandgent

b archaic : a personal want or need —usually used in plural

5 occasions plural : affairs, business minded his own occasions and was content for other folk to mind theirs— S. H. Adams

6 : a special event or ceremony : celebration birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions

on occasion

: from time to time He lives in the country, though he visits the city on occasion.

occasion

verb

oc·ca·sion | \ ə-ˈkā-zhən

occasioned; occasioning\ ə-ˈkāzh-niŋ

, -ˈkā-zhə- \

Definition of occasion (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: bring about, cause

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about occasion

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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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Even leaving aside the reality that Lincoln’s appeal preceded by a matter of weeks the outbreak of open civil war, its repetition on that hopeful occasion thirteen years ago now casts a gloomy shadow. — Fintan O’toole, The New York Review of Books, "To Hell with Unity," 2 Mar. 2021 On March 11-14, Dirtybird will commemorate the occasion with Women in Music, a four-day livestream event featuring sets from a gaggle of gals, including Louisahhh, Mija, LP Giobbi, Gina Turner and 21 other female-identifying producers. — Katie Bain, Billboard, "Mija, Louisahh, LP Giobbi & More Lined Up for Dirtybird's 'Women in Music' Livestream," 2 Mar. 2021 On the rare occasion that Beyond Order strays overtly into politics, Peterson still can’t resist fighting straw men. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, "What Happened to Jordan Peterson?," 2 Mar. 2021 On the first occasion, she was violently yanked back out of the water. — Don Riddell, CNN, "Jasmine Harrison delights in Atlantic Ocean world record row," 1 Mar. 2021 Co-founded by Noura Sakkijha, the brand consists of a collection of necklaces to engagement rings designed to be worn everyday, no matter the occasion. — Kiana Murden, CNN Underscored, "26 women-owned brands for all your everyday essentials," 1 Mar. 2021 And of course there were bits as well that tried to make the whole occasion feel a bit less surreal. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, "Golden Globes 2021: ‘Nomadland,’ ‘The Crown,’ ‘Borat’ Win Top Prizes," 1 Mar. 2021 Some in corporate America discovered Black History Month as an important occasion to highlight the diversity of American achievement. — Blake D. Morant, Forbes, "A Postlude On Black History Month," 1 Mar. 2021 On that occasion, these children become adults in the eyes of their religious community. — Washington Post, "Bar and bat mitzvah dates have been locked in for years. When the pandemic changed everything, families got creative.," 1 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Most Democratic candidates have negotiated the problem reasonably well, although extreme anti-Israel outliers from safe districts, such as Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, can occasion some awkwardness for their congressional colleagues. — Barton Swaim, WSJ, "What Raphael Warnock Believes About Israel," 16 Dec. 2020 But her observations of him occasion some of the novel’s sharpest insights. — Andrew Martin, Harper's Magazine, "New Books," 15 Sep. 2020 The pandemic is occasioning a reassessment of the fundamental importance of fandom to sports. — Danny Chau, The Atlantic, "Athletes During the Pandemic Are Learning What Fans Have Always Known," 20 May 2020 Well before the #MeToo era, Allen’s relationship with Previn occasioned a reevaluation of his work. — Rumaan Alam, The New Republic, "Woody Allen’s Memoir Is Shrouded in Secrecy. Why?," 1 Apr. 2020 Some are still very much with us, like Thatcher’s growing anxiety over the impact that movement toward European integration would have on Britain’s sovereignty, an issue that split her party and cabinet and occasioned her downfall. — Benjamin Schwarz, New York Times, "Seeing Margaret Thatcher Whole," 12 Nov. 2019 For lots of people, the coronavirus pandemic has occasioned a reconsideration of a former frenetic way of life and a re-embrace of simple satisfactions: making bread, noticing moments of quotidian beauty. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Grazie Mille, Tomie dePaola," 10 Apr. 2020 My view is, Biden will occasion plenty of opportunities for criticism, mockery, and attack. — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, "Wanted for genocide, &c.," 11 Mar. 2020 And so Trump’s victory in the Electoral College occasioned a moral and spiritual crisis among his rivals, who believe themselves and their class to be entitled to political power. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "Impeachment and the Broken Truce," 14 Nov. 2019

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

History and Etymology for occasion

Noun

Middle English occasioun "opportunity, inducement, grounds or justification, occurrence," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French occasion, borrowed from Medieval Latin occāsiōn-, occāsiō "opportunity, circumstance, cause, pretext," going back to Latin, "convenient circumstances, opportunity," from oc-cad-, base of occidere "to be struck down, die, sink below the horizon" + -tiōn- -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at occident

Note: Though Latin occāsiō is formally a derivative of occidere, it does not reflect the meaning of that verb; for the sense cf. other derivatives of cadere "to fall," as accidere "to happen" (see accident) and cāsus "occurrence, chance" (see case entry 1). The verbal noun corresponding semantically to occidere is occāsus "sinking (of the sun), downfall, decline."