occurred

word · lemma: occur

/əˈkɝd/
uh-KURD
/əkˈɜːd/
uh-KURD

Definition

Past form of "occur." It means that something happened or took place, often in a formal or neutral way.

Usage & Nuances

More formal than "happened" in many contexts, especially in news, reports, and academic writing. Common patterns: "the accident occurred," "it occurred to me" is a different meaning and should not be confused with the past of an event happening.

Example Sentences

The problem occurred at night.

basic

The error occurred during the test.

basic

The accident occurred near the school.

basic

A weird bug occurred after the update, and now the app won't open.

natural

The thought never occurred to me that she might be right.

natural

If this occurred before, why didn't anyone tell me?

natural