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

Abby Elliott, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, and Matty Matheson also star, with Oliver Platt and Molly Gordon in recurring roles. —Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 23 June 2024

Previous credits include recurring for two seasons on Banshee (Cinemax), as well as roles on NCIS, The Newsroom, and Pretty Little Liars. —Lynette Rice, Deadline, 21 June 2024

Yet that’s exactly what has happened to the Greek filmmaker, whose fascination with human brutality has not stopped him from becoming a recurring Oscar favorite who makes crossover art-house hits. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 21 June 2024

The Chi’s Kandi Burruss has found Reasonable Doubt with a recurring role on Season 2 of the Hulu drama, it was announced on Thursday. —Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 20 June 2024

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

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