What does concur mean?
"Concur" is a formal verb meaning to agree with someone or to share the same opinion, judgment, or decision. When two people concur, they independently arrive at the same conclusion, often after deliberation — which lends the word an air of considered authority. It frequently appears in official contexts: review boards concur with findings, courts concur with legal rulings, and panels concur on recommendations. A secondary, now less common sense describes things happening at the same time, as when two crises concur. Derived from the Latin "concurrere," literally meaning "to run together," the word carries a vivid image of separate streams converging into one. Its derivatives — concurrence, concurrent, concurrently — extend this idea into law, computing, and everyday language. Because it signals deliberate, reasoned assent rather than casual agreement, "concur" is especially valued in writing where precision and formality matter, making it a staple of diplomatic, academic, and professional prose.
verbTo agree or be in accord with someone or something; to express agreement. Also, of events, to happen at the same time.
- To agree or give approval; to be in accord with another person, opinion, or decision.
- (Of events or circumstances) To coincide in time; to occur together.
"The committee concurred with the auditor's recommendation to delay the merger."
"After reviewing the evidence, both doctors concurred that surgery was the best option."
"A period of economic hardship concurred with a wave of political unrest across the region."
The same Latin root that gives "concur" its sense of agreement — running together — also runs through "current," as in a river's flow and electricity alike.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of concur
From Latin "concurrere" — formed from "com-" (together) + "currere" (to run) — meaning literally "to run together" or "to meet in a rush." English borrowed the word in the early 17th century, initially carrying both senses of agreeing and of coinciding in time. It shares this root with "current," "occur," "recurrent," and other words built on "currere," reflecting motion or flow.
Related word forms
How concur is actually used
Predominantly formal in register, common in official reports, legal documents, and professional correspondence. The agreement sense typically appears with "with" (a person or opinion) or "in" (an action or view). The temporal sense is rarer today and mostly found in literary or historical writing.
Easily confused with concur
"Concur" means to agree, while "recur" means to happen again or repeatedly.