occasion

noun oc·ca·sion \ ə-ˈkā-zhən \

Updated on: 19 Nov 2017

Definition of occasion

1 :a favorable opportunity or circumstance

did not have occasion to talk with them

2 a :a state of affairs that provides a ground or reason

The occasion of the discord was their mutual intolerance.

b :an occurrence or condition that brings something about; especially :the immediate inciting circumstance as distinguished from the fundamental cause

His insulting remark was the occasion of a bitter quarrel.

3 a :happening, incident

Everybody has been terribly kind since my recent sad occasion.
—Thomas Kelly

b :a time at which something happens :instance

on the occasion of his daughter's wedding

4 a :a need arising from a particular circumstance

knowledge for which he will never have any occasion
—C. H. Grandgent

b archaic :a personal want or need —usually used in plural

5 occasions plural :affairs, business

minded his own occasions and was content for other folk to mind theirs
—S. H. Adams

6 :a special event or ceremony :celebration

birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions

— on occasion

:from time to time

He lives in the country, though he visits the city on occasion.

See occasion defined for English-language learners

See occasion defined for kids

Examples of occasion in a Sentence

When versatility is fashion's best justification, the idea of a beautiful lace blouse or dress that can step up to a special occasion and then look just as good under a man-tailored jacket or a fine-gauge long-line cardigan the next day is persuasive. —S. Mower, Vogue, September 2008
On several occasions, people have observed dark, kilometer-wide bands on the ocean surface as tsunamis approached or passed by … —S. Perkins, Science News, 21 Feb. 2004
Not so long ago, Rolling Stone's David Fricke asked the late Kurt Cobain whom he admired among "established" rock bands. Cobain unhesitatingly named R.E.M., using the occasion to send the band members a virtual mash note for remaining true to their muse and to themselves and for refusing to be swayed by the shifting winds of fashion and commerciality. —Robert Palmer, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 1994
To publish a definitive collection of short stories in one's late 60s seems to me, as an American writer, a traditional and a dignified occasion, eclipsed in no way by the fact that a great many of the stories in my current collection were written in my underwear. —John Cheever, in Ann Charters, The Story and Its Writer, 1987
birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions
They marked the occasion with their families.
She wrote a song especially for the occasion.
Roses are the perfect flower for any occasion.
On the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary, they took a vacation to Paris.
We had occasion to watch her perform last summer.
The boys never had occasion to meet each other.
She never found an occasion to suggest her ideas.
He took the occasion to make an announcement.

Recent Examples of occasion from the Web

The release added that Ryan also contacted a second, unnamed state employee on two separate occasions seeking donations for Beshear's re-election bid.

— sheldon s. shafer, The Courier-Journal, "Former Beshear official admits he solicited contributions from fellow state workers," 18 Sep. 2017
On two occasions, a guard with a rifle motioned reporters back to the villa, ending the strolls.

— jonathan cheng, WSJ, "Letter From North Korea: What Life Looks Like as Nuclear Crisis Mounts," 22 Sep. 2017
While weekly detections might make each new gravitational wave event a bland occasion, these detections are crucial to scientists.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "By Next Year, Gravitational Waves Could Be Discovered Weekly," 28 Sep. 2017
Rattler told me in the previous weeks, on two occasions, two different unmarked cars pulled up beside him on the street and a passenger brandished a Glock 10 before the vehicles sped away.

— natasha lennard, Esquire, "Still Fighting at Standing Rock," 19 Sep. 2017
Lambert even managed to be convicted of DUI twice in the same year on two occasions - in 1983 and 1996.

— jared boyd, AL.com, "Parole denied for Mobile man whose 13th DUI resulted in the death of motorist," 18 Oct. 2017
This after an evening in which Chapman was sacked six times and chased out of the pocket on several other occasions.

— kirk kenney, sandiegouniontribune.com, "3 things we learned in the Aztecs' win over Stanford," 17 Sep. 2017
The popular clot-buster Activase has not won final approval to treat a rare disease but, on two separate occasions in 2003 and 2014, the FDA has given it the orphan designation while research is ongoing.

— sarah jane tribble, Kaiser Health News, "Without Price Breaks, Rural Hospitals Struggle To Stock Costly, Lifesaving Drugs," 18 Sep. 2017
As on the previous two occasions, the Senate will block any action on the bill (which would need 60 votes to overcome a certain filibuster by most Democrats and at least a couple of Republicans).

— ed kilgore, The Cut, "Why Anti-Abortion Activists Are Obsessed With Late-Term Abortion Bans," 3 Oct. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of occasion

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin occasion-, occasio, from occidere to fall, fall down, from ob- toward + cadere to fall — more at ob-, chance

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

occasion Synonyms

Synonyms

moment, time

occasion

verb oc·ca·sion \ ə-ˈkā-zhən \

Definition of occasion

occasioned; occasioning play \ə-ˈkāzh-niŋ, -ˈkā-zhə-\

transitive verb

:bring about, cause

See occasion defined for English-language learners

Examples of occasion in a Sentence

It was that desire that occasioned a trip to Berlin this spring: a desire to wander through the city's arty demimonde and to eat beside its residents … —Sam Sifton, New York Times, 22 June 2008
"I made bow ties," Sally says very assuredly, after the long silence occasioned by my unwanted kiss, during which we both realized we are not about to head upstairs for any fun. —Richard Ford, Independence Day, 1996
the announcement concerning the change in scheduling occasioned much confusion

Recent Examples of occasion from the Web

Since wage stagnation and persistent inequality ensures the need for low-dollar loans, the dueling regulatory moves could occasion a shift, from payday lenders’ gouging customers to big banks doing it.

— david dayen, New Republic, "Trump’s Wall Street Watchdog Undercuts a Key Consumer Protection," 10 Oct. 2017
But the idea of a spontaneous snap occasioned by losses is hard to reconcile with the extensive preparation that the massacre required.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "The Frightening Enigma of the Las Vegas Shooter," 3 Oct. 2017
College can occasion self-doubt and a loss of identity, especially as students see most of their peers projecting an air of happiness and success on social media.

— kate fagan, Cosmopolitan, "In the Age of Social Media, Real Friendships Can Save Lives," 8 Sep. 2017
It’s occasioned by a biography: David Yaffe’s Reckless Daughter: A Portrait Of Joni Mitchell (Sarah Crichton Books, $28), an adoring but not uncritical book built on hours of conversation with the artist.

— dan deluca, Philly.com, "St. Vincent gave us one of the best albums of the year. Should we thank Joni Mitchell for that?," 20 Oct. 2017
The last two weeks-plus of baseball has occasioned two major questions: Will the Indians ever lose again, and will the Dodgers ever win?

— jack dickey, SI.com, "Indians Continue Streaking While Dodgers Stay Slumping," 8 Sep. 2017
But the presidency has also occasioned a whole new set of disputes.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "The Scandals of Donald Trump: Presidential Edition," 5 May 2017
Despite delays occasioned by John McCain’s surgery and, again, implacable opposition from a sufficient body of senators, the bill was voted upon on July 26.

— max bloom, National Review, "Process Matters," 1 Aug. 2017
The ongoing discussion of Nobel Laureate James M. Buchanan’s work, occasioned by the publication of a new and controversial book, helps focus attention on Buchanan’s role in political science.

— georg vanberg, Washington Post, "Was Nobel Laureate James Buchanan really opposed to democracy? Not at all.," 4 Aug. 2017