• Occur

    Pronunciation

    • UK IPA: /əˈkɜː/
    • US IPA: /əˈkɝ/
    • Rhymes: -ɜː(r)

    Origin

    Originally "meet, meet in argument", from Middle French occurrer, from Latin occurrō ("run to meet, run against, befall, present itself") from prefix ob- ("against") + verb currō ("run, hurry, move").

    Full definition of occur

    Verb

    1. To happen or take place.
      The liftoff will occur in exactly twelve seconds.
      • 1959, Georgette Heyer, The Unknown Ajax Chapter 1, And no use for anyone to tell Charles that this was because the Family was in mourning for Mr Granville Darracott …: Charles might only have been second footman at Darracott Place for a couple of months when that disaster occurred, but no one could gammon him into thinking that my lord cared a spangle for his heir.
    2. To present or offer itself.
      I will write if the opportunity occurs.
    3. (impersonal) To come or be presented to the mind; to suggest itself.
      • 1995, Theodore Kaczynski, Industrial Society and Its Future,Apparently it never occurs to them that you can't make rapid, drastic changes in the technology and the economy of a society without causing rapid changes in all other aspects of the society as well, ...
    4. (sciences) To be present or found.
      The chemical monofluoroacetate occurs in all parts of Dichapetalum cymosum, and is responsible for its toxic effects.

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