occurring

Occurring means happening or taking place, with particular attention to an event, activity, or situation as it unfolds at a specified time or in a specified context. The word is commonly used before nouns: “occurring infections,” “occurring changes,” or “occurring phenomena.” Because it is the present participle of “occur,” it can also appear in constructions such as “errors occurring during testing” or “storms occurring offshore.” In those examples, it describes the event as taking place without making an explicit claim that it is frequent or typical. In other contexts, “occurring” can seem unnecessary or tautological, especially after a noun such as “event” that already implies something has happened. Used carefully, however, the word gives an immediate, observable emphasis and can distinguish an active situation from one that is merely possible, predicted, or hypothetical.

Happening or taking place, especially at a particular time or in a particular setting. It is also the present participle of the verb “occur.”

Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.

Where does occurring come from?

“Occurring” derives from the English verb “occur,” which comes from Latin occurrere, formed from the prefix “oc-” and currere, meaning “to run.” Latin occurrere originally conveyed the sense of running toward or meeting a person, but the English word came to mean happen or take place. Its present participle “occurring” preserves the verb’s connection with events while also functioning as an adjective before nouns.

How occurring is actually used

In contemporary use, “occurring” is often redundant when it merely follows a noun that already denotes an event or activity, as in “an occurring event.” It is more natural when it identifies an event as happening in a particular place, time, or context.

Easily confused with occurring

What's another word for occurring?

Words and phrases paired with occurring

Rhymes with occurring