Occur Meaning

UK /əˈkɜːr/
US /əˈkɝːr/
Word Definition
occur meaning

Occur Definition & Usage

verb

To take place or happen, especially unexpectedly or as a result of certain conditions.

Examples

  • "The accident occurred on the main road early this morning."
  • "A power outage occurred last night, disrupting service to thousands."
  • "What occurred after the meeting was a complete surprise to everyone."
  • "An unusual event occurred at the festival that left attendees amazed."
  • "The changes to the schedule occurred without any prior warning."
verb

To come to mind or be thought of; to be remembered or noticed.

Examples

  • "It never occurred to me that she might be feeling upset."
  • "The idea occurred to him while he was walking through the park."
  • "Have you ever wondered what might occur if we took a different path?"
  • "It didn’t occur to her that she had left her phone at home until she arrived at the airport."
  • "During the meeting, it occurred to me that we hadn’t discussed the budget yet."

Cultural Context

The word 'occur' comes from the Latin 'occurrere', meaning 'to run against' or 'to meet.' It has evolved in English to primarily mean 'to happen' or 'to come to one's mind.' This is one of the most commonly used verbs in English when referring to events or ideas that arise or happen, particularly in casual conversations.

The Idea That Occurred to Sarah

Story

The Idea That Occurred to Sarah

Sarah had been staring at the blank page for what seemed like hours. She had tried everything—mind maps, bullet points, even doodling to try to get the words to flow—but nothing was happening. Her paper on climate change needed to be done by the end of the day, and she was feeling the pressure. Just as she began to feel hopeless, something unexpected occurred. A phrase from a podcast she had listened to earlier in the week suddenly popped into her head: 'The future of the planet lies in the hands of the next generation.' It had been a simple line, but it felt like the key to everything she had been struggling with. Excited, Sarah jotted it down. It hadn’t occurred to her before that she could focus her paper on how young people around the world were advocating for climate change policies. That one idea led to a whole new direction for her research. The hours seemed to pass in an instant as her words flowed freely onto the page. As Sarah finished her paper, she reflected on how the idea had occurred to her so suddenly. It was as if it had just appeared from nowhere, as if the answer had always been right in front of her, waiting to be noticed. The paper was finished with plenty of time to spare, and Sarah felt a sense of accomplishment she hadn’t felt all day. Later, she told her friend Jane about the moment the idea occurred to her. 'It was like a light bulb went off in my head,' Sarah said. 'I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it sooner!' Jane smiled and replied, 'It’s funny how sometimes, the best ideas occur to us when we stop trying so hard.' For Sarah, that moment—when an idea occurred to her in the midst of a struggle—was the turning point of her day. It reminded her that sometimes the best solutions appear when least expected, simply by letting things happen naturally.

The Idea That Occurred to Sarah