C. H. Grandgent
Synonyms
Examples of occasion in a Sentence
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.
Verb
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
Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
Naturally, the folks at the Adler Planetarium are ready to mark the occasion with a free indoor and outdoor (weather dependent) event with entertainment and education planned for the day.
—Melissa Locker, TIME, 6 Apr. 2024
Here's a selection of GIFs to mark the occasion, custom designed for just about every type of person.
—Rasputin Todd, The Enquirer, 5 Apr. 2024
At the end of the tour, visitors can mark the occasion by purchasing some homemade preserves or Balmoral whisky from the Mews Gift Shop - or perhaps some tweed, which might last a lot longer.
—Billy Stockwell, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Per intel from event organizers, the ceremony will feature original compositions for the occasion like one performed by Hoyos and Rauch to a score by composer Lucas Vidal.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
He was initially brought in as a 4-month-old kitten in 2021 and adopted, but on two different occasions, he was found alone outside.
—The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Celebrities and media figures poured onto X, formerly Twitter, to discuss the rare occasion.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Elastic waistbands may be preferred for long trips whereas a zipper or button fly may be better suited for a more formal occasion, like a work meeting.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2024
For Vulcan, the delays have been occasioned by the payload and the rocket's main engines.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2023
The prospect of a visit by Suzanne Mubarak, then the first lady, occasions the installation of desktop computers, a fresh coat of paint, new flooring in the reading room, and an inspection visit by the minister of culture.
—Alan Mikhail, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023
The clips have occasioned shock and delight from U.S. fans.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2023
In the wake of Roth’s death in 2018, alongside the triumphant hagiographies, further reconsiderations of misogyny in his writing were composed, and new ones were occasioned by the Bailey scandal.
—Hannah Gold, Harper's Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023
Throughout the poem flutter phrases that seem to have been occasioned by sightings of U.F.O.s.
—Kamran Javadizadeh, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
In recent years, the brand’s drumbeat of annual dolls, each immortalizing a different American place and time, has occasioned waves of American Girl history memes that ironically call for brand enshrinement of absurd or personal moments in history.
—Lizzie Feidelson, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
The series also occasioned a giddy reunion with Pinkett Smith.
—Emily Lordi, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'occasion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun
Middle English occasioun "opportunity, inducement, grounds or justification, occurrence," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French occasion, borrowed from Medieval Latin occāsiōn-, occāsiō "opportunity, circumstance, cause, pretext," going back to Latin, "convenient circumstances, opportunity," from oc-cad-, base of occidere "to be struck down, die, sink below the horizon" + -tiōn- -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at occident
Note: Though Latin occāsiō is formally a derivative of occidere, it does not reflect the meaning of that verb; for the sense cf. other derivatives of cadere "to fall," as accidere "to happen" (see accident) and cāsus "occurrence, chance" (see case entry 1). The verbal noun corresponding semantically to occidere is occāsus "sinking (of the sun), downfall, decline."
Verb
Middle English occasionen, borrowed from Medieval Latin occāsiōnāre, derivative of occāsiōn-, occāsiō occasion entry 1
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing occasion
Dictionary Entries Near occasion
Cite this Entry
“Occasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occasion. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
occasion
1 of 2 noun
More from Merriam-Webster on occasion
Nglish: Translation of occasion for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of occasion for Arabic Speakers
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