recur

verb

re·​cur ri-ˈkər 

recurred; recurring

intransitive verb

1

: to have recourse : resort

2

: to go back in thought or discourse

on recurring to my letters of that date

—Thomas Jefferson

3

a

: to come up again for consideration

b

: to come again to mind

4

: to occur again after an interval : occur time after time

the cancer recurred

Examples of recur in a Sentence

There is only a slight chance that the disease will recur.

The same problem keeps recurring.

Recent Examples on the Web

From there, Alcock continued to hone her craft in her homeland with recurring or regular roles in a string of mini-series, including Pine Gap (2018), Fighting Season (2018), Les Norton (2019), The Gloaming (2020) and Reckoning (2019-2020). —Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

The survey also asked takers for their opinions on a series of antisemitic tropes, a recurring subject for the ADL’s research. —Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 11 July 2025

The same goes for the recurring question of whether the organization is still relevant or impactful. —Charlotte Observer, 11 July 2025

Rounding out the cast, Rita Wilson and Rhea Perlman also have recurring roles as, respectively, Jessica’s mother and grandmother, who live in the same house as Nora and her adolescent son due to various financial troubles. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 11 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin recurrere "to run back, return, have recourse (to)," from re- re- + currere "to run" — more at current entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1512, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for recur

• chauffeur
• cockspur
• concur
• confer
• defer
• demur
• deter
• hotspur
• incur
• infer
• inter
• jagir

Kids Definition

recur

verb

re·​cur ri-ˈkər 

recurred; recurring

1

: to go or come back in thought or discussion

2

: to come again into the mind

3

: to occur or appear again

recurrence

-ˈkər-ən(t)s 

-ˈkə-rən(t)s

noun

Medical Definition

recur

intransitive verb

re·​cur ri-ˈkər 

recurred; recurring

: to occur again after an interval

a disease likely to recur