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event

n.
US //iˈvɛnt// UK //ɪvˈɛnt// event
  1. 1 something that happens (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    something that happens, especially something important or unusual.

    an occurrence or happening, particularly one of significance or note.

    Example

    The local newspaper reported on the main events of the week.

    Example

    The historian argued that the event was not an isolated incident but rather the culmination of years of social unrest.

  2. 2 a planned social activity (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a planned social occasion, such as a party, a meeting, or a wedding.

    a prearranged social activity or public function.

    Example

    The charity is hosting a fundraising event next Saturday evening.

    Example

    The corporate event was meticulously planned to ensure that every stakeholder felt valued and engaged throughout the weekend.

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  1. 3 a sports competition (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Sport

    one of the races or competitions in a sports programme.

    a single contest within a larger sporting competition or programme.

    Example

    She is training hard for the 100-metre sprint event.

    Example

    The decathlon consists of ten distinct track and field events held over two consecutive days to test the athletes' versatility.

  2. 4 computing/software (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    an action that a computer program notices, like a mouse click.

    an action or occurrence recognised by software that may be handled by the program.

    Example

    The program waits for a click event before opening the new window.

    Example

    The application uses an asynchronous event listener to process user inputs without freezing the primary execution thread.

  3. 5 medical incident (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Medicine

    a sudden and serious health problem, like a heart attack.

    an episode of a severe or acute health condition.

    Example

    The doctor asked if he had ever experienced a cardiac event before.

    Example

    Patients who have suffered a major vascular event require long-term monitoring to mitigate the risk of recurrence.

  4. 6 physics/spacetime (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Physics

    a specific point in time and space.

    a point in spacetime specified by three spatial coordinates and one temporal coordinate.

    Example

    In physics, an event is defined by where and when it happens.

    Example

    Relativity treats an event as a fundamental constituent of the four-dimensional manifold, independent of the observer's frame of reference.

Etymology 1

From Middle French event, from Latin ēventus (“an event, occurrence”), from ēveniō (“to happen, to fall out, to come out”), from ē (“out of, from”), short form of ex + veniō (“come”); related to venture, advent, convent, invent, convene, evene, etc.

Etymology 2

From French éventer.

Idioms2 entries

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