Word
incur
Phoneticsin·cur, stress on the second syllable
US/ˌɪnˈkɝ/
UK/ɪnkˈɜː/
Definitions
01to become liable for costs
C1 · Advanced Law Formal · Technical
v. to become responsible for paying a cost or a debt.
v. to become liable for a debt, expense, or penalty through one's actions. Transitive — requires a direct object such as 'costs', 'debt', or 'fees'.
日本語:（費用を）負う※
“You will incur a small fee if you pay your bill late.”
“The company incurred significant legal expenses during the three-year patent dispute, which ultimately impacted their annual profit margins.”
02to bring upon oneself
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. to experience something negative, like someone's anger or a bad reputation, because of what you did.
v. to bring something undesirable, such as criticism or hostility, upon oneself. Transitive — usually takes an abstract noun as an object.
日本語:招く※
“His rude comments incurred the anger of his teammates.”
“The minister's controversial decision incurred the wrath of the public and led to widespread protests across the capital.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “incur” in context.
Verb
01. incur a debt
“The company incurred a massive debt after the failed acquisition of its rival.”
verb + noun
02. incur a penalty
“Late submissions will automatically incur a penalty of ten percent.”
verb + noun
03. incur additional costs
“You may incur additional costs if you decide to upgrade your flight to business class.”
verb + adj + noun
04. incur the wrath of the public
“The politician incurred the wrath of the public when he broke his own lockdown rules.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
Adverb
05. incur expenses directly
“The employee incurred travel expenses directly while attending the international conference.”
verb + noun + adv
06. inevitably incur losses
“Startups often inevitably incur losses during their first two years of operation.”
adv + verb + noun
Usage
The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, typically a noun representing a negative consequence like 'debt', 'wrath', or 'expense'.
Pitfall
he incurred to a large debt
he incurred a large debt
Incur is a transitive verb and should not be followed by the preposition 'to'.
Real-World Examples
“In a civil case such as this, the legal convention is that the losing party must reimburse "reasonable" legal fees incurred by the other side.” “Everything he was learning, he could have found in a book, and the nine grand of annual fees was only a fraction of the total debt he was incurring.” Etymology
From Middle English incurren, from Anglo-Norman encurir, Middle French encourir, from Old French encorre, from Latin incurrere.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/incur
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0