recur

verb

re·​cur ri-ˈkər 

recurred; recurring

intransitive verb

1

: to have recourse : resort

2

: to go back in thought or discourse

on recurring to my letters of that date

—Thomas Jefferson

3

a

: to come up again for consideration

b

: to come again to mind

4

: to occur again after an interval : occur time after time

the cancer recurred

Examples of recur in a Sentence

There is only a slight chance that the disease will recur.

The same problem keeps recurring.

Recent Examples on the Web

Pay Attention To Patterns Over Time: AI insights can reveal recurring habits, like frequent interruptions or a tendency to talk too much. —Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025

Aliah Anderson In Proenza Schouler at The Road to the Golden Globes Party at TIFF. Penske Media/Getty Images Cannes served as a launchpad for another recurring motif in their press looks: body modification. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2025

He’s also been a recurring player in Ryan Murphy projects, including American Horror Story: Hotel (2015) and The Assassination of Gianni Versace (2018). —Sezin Koehler, EW.com, 1 Mar. 2025

Additionally, Ray Donovan alum Eddie Marsan is set to recur on the new season, which is currently in pre-production. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin recurrere "to run back, return, have recourse (to)," from re- re- + currere "to run" — more at current entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1512, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for recur

• chauffeur
• cockspur
• concur
• confer
• defer
• demur
• deter
• hotspur
• incur
• infer
• inter
• jagir

Kids Definition

recur

verb

re·​cur ri-ˈkər 

recurred; recurring

1

: to go or come back in thought or discussion

2

: to come again into the mind

3

: to occur or appear again

recurrence

-ˈkər-ən(t)s 

-ˈkə-rən(t)s

noun

Medical Definition

recur

intransitive verb

re·​cur ri-ˈkər 

recurred; recurring

: to occur again after an interval

a disease likely to recur