verb

occurred

uh-KURD

Occurred (verb) means past tense and past participle of occur: happened or took place, usually without being planned. Example: “The fault occurred twice during the same shift.”

verb

Past tense and past participle of occur: happened or took place, usually without being planned.

"The fault occurred twice during the same shift."

"No further outbreaks have occurred since the vaccine was introduced."

Of an idea: came into someone's mind, in the pattern it occurred to me.

"It occurred to her only later that the door had been unlocked."

technical Was found or existed in a particular place, especially in scientific description.

"The species occurred at only two of the surveyed lakes."

How to use occurred

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishHappened, especially by chance rather than by plan.

When to use it

Formal to neutral; standard in reports, science and journalism.

Memory tip

Occur has no passive: write 'the accident occurred', never 'the accident was occurred'.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

occured happened transpired recurred

Common pairings

an error occurred it occurred to me occurred naturally incidents occurred

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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

The fault _____ twice during the same shift.

Etymology

From Latin occurrere, 'to run towards, present itself', from ob-, 'towards', and currere, 'to run'.

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

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happened took place arose came about

Related words

rose

Rhymes for occurred

blurred spurred

See all rhymes for occurred →

Frequently asked questions

Is it occurred or occured?

Occurred, with a double 'r'. Because occur is stressed on the final syllable, the 'r' doubles before -ed and -ing: occurred, occurring. Occured is a spelling mistake.

What is the difference between occurred and happened?

They mean the same, but occurred is more formal and more common in writing about events, faults and data. Happened is the everyday spoken choice.

Can occur be used with a person as the subject?

Not in the sense of doing something. Events occur; people do not occur. The only common pattern involving a person is 'it occurred to me', where the idea, not the person, is the subject.

What is the meaning of occurred?

"occurred" (verb) means past tense and past participle of occur: happened or took place, usually without being planned.

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