incur

verb

in·cur | \ in-ˈkər

incurred; incurring

Definition of incur

transitive verb

: to become liable or subject to : bring down upon oneself incur expenses

Incur vs. Occur More Example Sentences Learn More about incur

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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

Submitting students to the rigors of learning seemed only to incur the wrath of many of them … — 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?

Recent Examples on the Web

Blumenauer said the policies, if implemented, would reduce other societal costs incurred as a result — notably through paying for medical care. — oregonlive, "Rep. Earl Blumenauer outlines plan to boost federal housing spending, reform mortgage interest deduction," 6 Sep. 2019 Cordeiro’s letter argues that women soccer players have actually been paid more than men in recent years, and adds that the Federation has incurred a net loss of $27.5 million on USWNT games over the past 11 years. — Sarah Todd, Quartz at Work, "The US men’s soccer team steps up as allies in the fight for equal pay," 31 July 2019 San Diego applied in early 2018 for reimbursement from the state for testing costs its utilities department incurred which climbed to $443,000 last month, which is when City Attorney Mara Elliott filed the lawsuit. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "San Diego suing state over costs of tests for toxic lead in schools," 21 July 2019 Congress approved risk scoring in 2003 to ensure health plans did not shy away from taking sick patients who could incur higher-than-usual costs from hospitals and other medical facilities. — Kaiser Health News, oregonlive.com, "Medicare knows about $30 billion in overbilling but refunds prove elusive," 20 July 2019 The resident will not incur any additional collection or disposal charges and the hauler will be fully responsible for the repair and/or replacement of the cart. — Austen Erblat, sun-sentinel.com, "Changes coming to curbside trash collection in unincorporated areas," 19 July 2019 Those teams shed these singular talents away even while incurring highly detrimental cash and cap consequences. — Andrew Brandt, SI.com, "How Cowboys’ Dak Prescott Can Benefit From Waiting to Negotiate His Contract," 20 Aug. 2019 Piscotty left the game in the seventh after jamming his right ankle sliding back into second base; Piscotty missed five weeks with a sprained knee incurred on a slide at second in June. — Susan Slusser, SFChronicle.com, "Singular win for A’s, their third in a row over Astros," 17 Aug. 2019 Hyten’s defenders, including some senators, have said that Spletstoser previously incurred a temporary brain injury and suffered from minor post-traumatic stress disorder. — Washington Post, "How a Senate panel reached its conclusion on a military nominee accused of sexual assault," 16 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'incur.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for incur

incur

verb

English Language Learners Definition of incur

formal : to cause yourself to have or experience (something unpleasant or unwanted)

See the full definition for incur in the English Language Learners Dictionary

incur

verb

in·cur | \ in-ˈkər

incurred; incurring

Kids Definition of incur

: to experience as a result of a person's own actions Because of his behavior he incurred suspicion.

incur

transitive verb

in·cur | \ in-ˈkər

incurred; incurring

Legal Definition of incur

: to become liable or subject to : bring down upon oneself incur obligations incur expenses

Keep scrolling for more

incur

Definition of incur

Incur vs. Occur

Examples of incur in a Sentence

First Known Use of incur

History and Etymology for incur

English Language Learners Definition of incur

Kids Definition of incur

Legal Definition of incur

incur

Definition of incur

Incur vs. Occur

Examples of incur in a Sentence

First Known Use of incur

History and Etymology for incur

English Language Learners Definition of incur

Kids Definition of incur

Legal Definition of incur

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