occurrence

occurrence — noun

1. an event that takes place, especially one that is noticed or recorded as part of

1.nounC1
Definition

an event that takes place, especially one that is noticed or recorded as part of a series of similar events.

Example

Power cuts are a daily occurrence in our village during the rainy season.

collocation: a daily occurrence

Snow in April is a rare occurrence in southern Spain.

collocation: a rare occurrence

Common collocations
  • a daily/regular/frequent occurrence
  • a rare/unusual/strange occurrence
  • an everyday occurrence
  • a common occurrence
Synonyms
  • event

    more general and far more common in everyday speech

  • incident

    often suggests something unwelcome or noteworthy, sometimes minor

  • happening

    more informal; often used about something unexpected

Grammar Patterns

a [adjective] occurrence

a common/rare/daily occurrence

Usage Note

Almost always preceded by an adjective describing how often or how unusual the event is (daily, rare, common, strange, everyday). A bare 'an occurrence' without a modifier sounds incomplete.

Common Mistakes

There was an occurrence yesterday.
There was a strange occurrence yesterday.
the noun normally needs an adjective; otherwise prefer 'event' or 'incident'.
occurance' (misspelling).
occurrence
double 'r', double 'c', '-ence' ending.

2. the fact that something is present in a place or group, or how often it is found

2.nounC1
Definition

the fact that something is present in a place or group, or how often it is found there, often discussed in scientific or statistical writing.

Example

Researchers are studying the occurrence of asthma among children in industrial cities.

pattern: the occurrence of [noun] among [group]

The mineral has a wide occurrence in volcanic rocks across East Africa.

pattern: wide/limited occurrence in [place]

Common collocations
  • the occurrence of [a disease/species/event]
  • wide occurrence
  • natural occurrence
  • high/low occurrence
Synonyms
  • incidence

    near-equivalent in scientific contexts; the rate at which something occurs

  • presence

    broader; emphasises being there rather than how often

  • frequency

    focuses on how often, less on whether it exists at all

Antonyms
  • absence

    the state of not being present at all

Grammar Patterns

the occurrence of [noun]

occurrence in/among [group]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is uncountable and used to describe presence or frequency across a whole group, place, or time period. Sense 1 (countable) refers to a single event. If you can replace it with 'an event', use sense 1; if you can replace it with 'presence' or 'how often it is found', use sense 2.

Common Mistakes

The occurrences of the disease is rising.
The occurrence of the disease is rising.
in this sense the noun is uncountable, so no plural and a singular verb.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name something that takes place, but they fit different registers and shades of meaning. 'Event' is the everyday default — neutral, common in speech and writing, and works for anything from a birthday party to a global crisis. 'Occurrence' is more formal and is most natural with an adjective of frequency or unusualness ('a daily occurrence', 'a rare occurrence'); a bare 'an occurrence' sounds awkward. 'Incident' usually points to something unwelcome, troubling, or worth a report — a fight, an accident, a security breach. 'Happening' is the most informal and often suggests something surprising or out of the ordinary. So you might say, 'The wedding was a beautiful event'; 'Floods are a frequent occurrence here'; 'Police are investigating an incident at the station'; 'Strange happenings have been reported in the woods.'

occurrence ↗event ↗incident ↗happening ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • a common/daily/frequent occurrence
  • a rare/unusual/strange occurrence
  • an everyday occurrence
  • the natural occurrence of

Prepositions

  • the occurrence of (something)
  • occurrence in (a place/group)
  • occurrence among (a group)

Etymology

LatinMiddle FrenchEnglish

Built from the verb 'occur' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ence' (meaning 'the act or fact of'). 'Occur' itself entered English in the 1500s from Latin 'occurrere', literally 'to run to meet', formed from 'ob-' (toward, against) and 'currere' (to run). The 'running to meet' image gave the sense of something coming up or presenting itself. By the early 1500s 'occurrence' was used in English for an event that had taken place, and the more abstract 'fact of happening or being present' sense developed alongside it.