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REFERENCE

occurring

v. · n. · adj.
US //əˈkɝɪŋ// UK //əkˈɜːɹɪŋ// oc·cur·ring
  1. 1 happening (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    happening or taking place, especially at a specific time.

    the act of taking place or happening; often used to describe events or incidents.

    Example

    The police are investigating several crimes occurring in the city centre this week.

    Example

    The report highlights several technical failures occurring simultaneously during the launch sequence, which ultimately led to the mission's cancellation.

    Usage

    Often used in the continuous form to describe ongoing trends or repeated incidents.
    Pitfall
    The accident was occurring at 5 PM.
    The accident occurred at 5 PM.

    For sudden, completed events, use the simple past 'occurred' rather than the continuous 'occurring'.

  2. 2 existing or found (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Academic Science

    existing or being found in a particular place or group.

    existing or being present within a specific environment, substance, or population.

    Example

    These rare plants are only found occurring naturally in this specific forest.

    Example

    The researchers identified high levels of the mineral occurring in the groundwater samples collected near the industrial site.

    Usage

    Commonly used with the adverb 'naturally'.
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  1. 3 an event (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    an instance of something happening; an event.

    a specific instance or occurrence of an event or phenomenon.

    Example

    The sudden occurring of the storm caught the hikers by surprise.

    Example

    The frequent occurring of these errors suggests a fundamental flaw in the software's architecture.

    Usage

    As a gerund-noun, it is less common than 'occurrence'.
  2. 4 happening in a certain way (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Academic Technical

    used with another word to describe how often or where something happens.

    functioning as a participial adjective, typically in compound forms, to describe the manner or frequency of an event.

    Example

    The naturally occurring gases in the cave can be dangerous to breathe.

    Example

    The study focused on co-occurring disorders among patients in the psychiatric ward.

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