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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?
Jill Terreri Ramos, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024
The Guide also notes that decommissioning expenses per turbine vary between $114,000 and $195,000, often incurred by the project owner.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Why cars may incur more tariffs than other goods
The automotive sector’s supply chain is unique because some pieces move back and forth across international borders while the part is built and assembled, experts say.
—Ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2024
But the president-elect couldn’t keep his party united behind his first big pre-inauguration policy push – keeping the U.S. government open through March while lifting the cap on the amount of debt the federal government can incur.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incur 
Dictionary Entries Near incur
Cite this Entry
“Incur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incur. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
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incur
transitive verb
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