What does “occur” mean?
- 1
verbto happen, especially without being planned
The accident occurred at about 8 p.m.
- 2
verbto come into someone’s mind as an idea
It never occurred to me to ask for help.
Occur at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Pronunciation
- /əˈkɝ/ · uh-KUR
- Forms
- occurred, occurring
How to use “occur” correctly
Double the “r” in “occurred” and “occurring.” “It occurred to me” means “I suddenly thought of it.”
Common phrases with “occur”
- occur to sb
- naturally occurring
- occur frequently
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- happen
- take place
Word family
- occurrence
“occur” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- affect verbB1to cause a change in someone or something
- appear verbB1to seem
- avoid verbB1to stay away from someone or something
- beat verbB1to win against someone in a game or competition
- cause verbB1to make something happen, usually something bad
- involve verbB1to include something as a necessary part
- lay verbB1to put someone or something down carefully in a flat position
- perform verbB1to entertain people by acting, singing, dancing or playing music