incidence

noun
in·​ci·​dence | \ ˈin(t)-sə-dən(t)s How to pronounce incidence (audio) , -ˌden(t)s\

Definition of incidence

b : the arrival of something (such as a projectile or a ray of light) at a surface
2a : an act or the fact or manner of falling upon or affecting : occurrence
b : rate of occurrence or influence a high incidence of crime

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Did You Know?

The words incident, incidence, and instance may seem similar (and, in fact, incident and incidence are closely related), but they are not used identically. In current use, incidence usually means "rate of occurrence" and is often qualified in some way ("a high incidence of diabetes"). Incident usually refers to a particular event, often something unusual or unpleasant ("many such incidents go unreported"). Instance suggests a particular occurrence that is offered as an example ("another instance of bureaucratic bumbling"); it can also be synonymous with case ("many instances in which the wrong form was submitted"). The plural incidences sometimes occurs in such contexts as "several recent incidences of crime," but this use is often criticized as incorrect.

Examples of incidence in a Sentence

an increased incidence of diabetes a high incidence of criminal behavior

Recent Examples on the Web

But there are other groups affected, and incidence of police violence is pretty widespread. P.r. Lockhart, Vox, "Why police violence needs to be treated as a public health issue," 14 Aug. 2019 Echoing past fears And yet not every incidence of phone use is at is seems. Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, "Why quitting tech and social media is harder than quitting cigarettes," 12 Aug. 2019 Over the past few days, as temperatures in New York City rose close to triple digits, two incidences of police officers getting water thrown at them sparked outrage from the New York Police Department and Mayor Bill de Blasio. Currie Engel, Time, "'This Is Not Acceptable': NYPD and Mayor De Blasio Slam Videos of People Throwing Water on Police Officers," 23 July 2019 The report also analyzed data from large-scale studies since GMOs entered the food supply in the '90s, but did not find any associations with chronic disease incidence and dietary patterns. Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "What Does "Organic" Actually Mean? Here's How to Decode the USDA Label, According to a Nutritionist," 15 July 2019 Russo also faces discipline over two other incidences. NBC News, "New Jersey judge who told alleged rape victim to 'close your legs' is 'remorseful,' lawyer says," 10 July 2019 That's about three times the incidence in Gulf War veterans (10.1%) and more than twice that of the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran population (13.8%). Holly V. Hays, Indianapolis Star, "A 20-pound cat with a squeaky purr helped a veteran fight off his darkest memories," 25 June 2019 How Has Legalization For Humans Changed Things For Dogs? De Jong, who is based in Massachusetts, is seeing more incidences of marijuana toxicity. Kaiser Health News, oregonlive.com, "Ruh-roh: What happens when your dog gets into your weed stash," 23 June 2019 There are no direct data about the effect of sunscreen on melanoma incidence. Brian Resnick, Vox, "The summer solstice is coming: 9 things to know about the longest day of the year," 14 June 2019

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

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First Known Use of incidence

1626, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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More Definitions for incidence

incidence

noun

English Language Learners Definition of incidence

: the number of times something happens or develops : the rate at which something occurs
technical : the angle at which a ray (such as a ray of light) hits a surface

incidence

noun
in·​ci·​dence | \ ˈin(t)-səd-ən(t)s, -sə-ˌden(t)s How to pronounce incidence (audio) \

Medical Definition of incidence

b : the arrival of something (as a ray of light) at a surface
2a : an act or the fact or manner of occurring or affecting diseases of domestic incidenceScience
b : rate of occurrence or influence especially : the rate of occurrence of new cases of a particular disease in a population being studied — compare prevalence

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