occurring
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.happening or taking place, especially at a specific time.
v.the act of taking place or happening; often used to describe events or incidents.
Simple“The police are investigating several crimes occurring in the city centre this week.”
In context“The report highlights several technical failures occurring simultaneously during the launch sequence, which ultimately led to the mission's cancellation.”
UsageOften used in the continuous form to describe ongoing trends or repeated incidents.
PitfallThe 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'.
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.existing or being found in a particular place or group.
v.existing or being present within a specific environment, substance, or population.
Simple“These rare plants are only found occurring naturally in this specific forest.”
In context“The researchers identified high levels of the mineral occurring in the groundwater samples collected near the industrial site.”
UsageCommonly used with the adverb 'naturally'.
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.an instance of something happening; an event.
n.a specific instance or occurrence of an event or phenomenon.
Simple“The sudden occurring of the storm caught the hikers by surprise.”
In context“The frequent occurring of these errors suggests a fundamental flaw in the software's architecture.”
UsageAs a gerund-noun, it is less common than 'occurrence'.
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
adj.used with another word to describe how often or where something happens.
adj.functioning as a participial adjective, typically in compound forms, to describe the manner or frequency of an event.
Simple“The naturally occurring gases in the cave can be dangerous to breathe.”
In context“The study focused on co-occurring disorders among patients in the psychiatric ward.”