as in prevalence
the rate at which something happens
They found an increased incidence of crime in the city when social programs were cut.
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Recent Examples of incidence
The muted recognition of a day intended to call attention to the rising global incidence of pediatric cancer and the urgent need for research funding is a sobering reminder that while concern is often expressed, meaningful action remains insufficient.
—
Jason Collins, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
According to the report, rectal cancer incidence has increased by about 1% per year in recent years.
—Dr. Ishani D. Premaratne, ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
Clean Sweep™ Snowbank™ Indian Hawthorne shows some disease resistance, however careful plant culture is critical to minimizing the incidence of infection.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2026
This table shows Premier Injuries’ data for this season until the end of January (Days RTP means days until a player could return to play, while incidence is how many injuries a team has suffered for every 1,000 minutes played).
—James Pearce, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incidence
Jason Collins, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
According to the report, rectal cancer incidence has increased by about 1% per year in recent years.
—Dr. Ishani D. Premaratne, ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
Clean Sweep™ Snowbank™ Indian Hawthorne shows some disease resistance, however careful plant culture is critical to minimizing the incidence of infection.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2026
This table shows Premier Injuries’ data for this season until the end of January (Days RTP means days until a player could return to play, while incidence is how many injuries a team has suffered for every 1,000 minutes played).
—James Pearce, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incidence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incidence
Noun
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Something else that supports the hypothesis that recent meteors have been larger than usual is the prevalence of sonic booms — loud, explosive sounds caused by shockwaves when meteoroids, small rocky or metallic bodies from space, penetrate deeper into the Earth's atmosphere than usual.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
27 Mar. 2026
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Among vapers, those between ages 18 and 24 had the highest prevalence of e-cigarette use followed by those between ages 25 and 44.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But Thursday's hearing was a rare occurrence that underscored the gravity of the allegations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
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That’s twice the total occurrences in the 2010s, when five-week runs were linked in 2010 and 2018.—
Gary Trust,
Billboard,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For the full list of cities and flight frequency, click here.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The rise of high-frequency trading convinced us that everything is priced in instantly, obscuring pockets of friction.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incidence. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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