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

As for Morgan, his last recurring TV role was on sitcom The Last O.G. —Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 12 May 2025

Long term, there is no subscription or recurring fees, period, and all the classes are free. —Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025

Durance, 46, landed a recurring role in season four and was promoted to a series regular in season five. —Rachel Flynn, People.com, 11 May 2025

But since Helberg plays one of the show’s few recurring characters, he’s had a chance to grow the trajectory of Luca since Season 1. —Matt Minton, Variety, 10 May 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