occurrence

noun oc·cur·rence \ ə-ˈkər-ən(t)s , -ˈkə-rən(t)s \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of occurrence

1 : something that occurs

a startling occurrence

Lightning is a natural occurrence.

2 : the action or fact of happening or occurring —often used with of

the repeated occurrence of petty theft in the locker room

See occurrence defined for English-language learners

See occurrence defined for kids

Examples of occurrence in a Sentence

Getting headaches has become a common occurrence for her.
the recent occurrences of the disease
Lightning is a natural occurrence.

Recent Examples of occurrence from the Web

Finau bogeyed the first hole on Thursday — a typical occurrence for Masters rookies, even those with two healthy ankles.

— bill pennington, New York Times, "Tony Finau Steals Masters Spotlight After Dislocating Ankle," 5 Apr. 2018
Rainfall is a normal occurrence for the event, with about 80% of the years having at least a trace of rain during the four-day tournament.

— brandon miller, CNN, "The weather at the Masters is likely to be as up and down as the scores," 4 Apr. 2018
Such occurrences, my operator assured me, were rare.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "At Uber, a New C.E.O. Shifts Gears," 30 Mar. 2018
Violent uprisings in neighboring Brazil's prison population are also a regular occurrence, fueled by chronic overcrowding, degrading conditions and competition between criminal groups that control large swaths of penitentiaries.

— author: vivian sequera, tibisay romero, Anchorage Daily News, "Outcry grows over Venezuela jail riot that killed at least 68," 29 Mar. 2018
June 2015 – Perry allegedly visits the Waverly Drive property While Perry herself never commented on the occurrence, an eyewitness said the superstar showed up with a group including the archbishop’s construction coordinator.

— rania aniftos, Billboard, "A Timeline of Katy Perry's Legal Dispute Over a Los Feliz Convent," 14 Mar. 2018
Cases like this are now regular occurrences for police, especially in affluent cities like Troy.

— bill laitner, Detroit Free Press, "They met on Facebook, she sent him $62K — and Troy cops can't help," 10 Mar. 2018
Thirty four percent of the community met the criteria for PTSD and while the APA says the national occurrence for depression if 6.7 percent, the study reported that 43 percent of the community sample in Ferguson met the criteria for depression.

— jonece starr dunigan, AL.com, "Birmingham group advocating for the mental health of black women nationwide," 6 Mar. 2018
Some were boundary-expanding, one-time occurrences, like News Fellow Anne Branigin’s night at the opera.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Why I Decided to Become a Black Conservative," 20 Feb. 2018

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

First Known Use of occurrence

1539

occurrence Synonyms

Synonyms

affair, circumstance, episode, event, happening, incident, occasion, thing;

Related Words

coincidence, fluke, freak;

landmark, milepost, milestone, page, phenomenon, turning point;

adventure, experience, time;

happenchance, happenstance;

accident, crisis, emergency, juncture;

achievement, deed, exploit, feat;

news, tidings;

Synonym Discussion of occurrence

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

OCCURRENCE Defined for English Language Learners

occurrence

noun

Definition of occurrence for English Language Learners

: something that happens
: the fact of happening or occurring

OCCURRENCE Defined for Kids

occurrence

noun oc·cur·rence \ ə-ˈkər-əns \

Definition of occurrence for Students

1 : something that happens

Lightning is a natural occurrence.

2 : the action or process of happening There's been a lower occurrence of the disease.

Law Dictionary

occurrence

noun oc·cur·rence

legal Definition of occurrence

: something that takes place; especially : an accident, event, or continuing condition that causes personal or property damage that is unintended or unexpected from the standpoint of an insured party making a claim