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Incur vs. Occur
Incur bears a strong family resemblance to another English verb, occur. If you are confused by their similarities, a glance back at their Latin roots might help you to tell them apart.
Both words have a common root in Latin currere, meaning “to run.” In the case of incur, currere was combined with Latin in “into,” which produced the meaning “to run into.” In English, the one who incurs, or “runs into,” is most often a person and the thing incurred is usually some self-inflicted negative consequence (such as a debt or somebody’s foul temper). The ancestor of occur, by contrast, paired Latin ob “in the way” with currere, producing the basic meaning “to run in the way of,” or “to present itself.” In English, the verb came to apply strictly to events, things, or ideas; something (such as a tornado) that occurs, or “presents itself,” appears or happens; a thought that occurs, or “presents itself” to someone, comes into that person’s mind.
To summarize: a person (or something composed of people, like a company) incurs, or becomes subject to, something negative; something occurs, or happens, or an idea occurs to, or comes into the mind of, someone.
Examples of incur in a Sentence
Ben Marcus, Time, 8 Jan. 2001
Shakespeare … took plots and characters from wherever he pleased, rarely acknowledging sources, and he saw so little sanctity in his own words that anyone could print them who cared to incur the expense—which did not include royalties to Shakespeare.
—Walter Kendrick, New York Times Book Review, 29 Oct. 1989
To be too good-looking is sometimes to incur the dislike, if not the hatred, of the ordinary-looking.
—Joseph Epstein, The Middle of My Tether, 1983
What did he do to incur such wrath?
Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
The judge ordered them at the time to repay Carey’s legal bills incurred while defending the case, but will ultimately have to rule on the official request for repayment in the coming weeks.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2025
Jevon Carter incurred an injury to the AC joint in his right shoulder, Dalen Terry was kicked in the right calf and Julian Phillips was hit in the right quadricep, aggravating an older contusion.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
Half of roughly 2,400 miles surveyed since 2017 showed significant harm to such spots, while 13 percent of the areas incurred moderate damage, according to the report released Wednesday by the Center for Biological Diversity.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incur
Cite this Entry
“Incur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incur. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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incur
transitive verb
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