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The Meaning of Occur and the Spelling of Its Forms
Occur has three meanings. It means "to be found or met with; appear," as in "a phenomenon that occurs around the world"; it means "to come into existence; happen," as in "an event that occurred on Friday"; and it means "to come to mind," as in "it occurs to me that the word is quite useful."
It's an unusual-looking word, being so small but with two c's up against each other, and then just a simple r at the end. The r is doubled, though, for the past tense: occurred. And the double r continues in the present participle: occurring.
Examples of occur in a Sentence
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 14 May 2025
The climbers were in the area of North Early Winters Spire when the accident occurred, authorities said.
—Michelle Watson, CNN Money, 13 May 2025
Its surge in imports largely occurred in January – a reaction to the early talk of significant tariffs rather than the tariffs themselves.
—Ken Roberts, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
When heavy rain occurs, there is a potential for flooding, particularly in areas that are low-lying or prone to floods.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for occur
Cite this Entry
“Occur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occur. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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