# recurring

/ɹiˈkɝɪŋ/ (US) · /ɹɪkˈɜːɹɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/recurring
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. happening repeatedly

adjective · CEFR B2

happening many times or appearing again and again.

For teachers: occurring periodically or repeatedly over time.

- He has a recurring dream about flying over the ocean every few months.
- The company struggled to address the recurring technical issues that plagued the software after every major update.

### 2. repeating decimals

adjective · CEFR B2 · Technical

describing a decimal number where the same digits repeat forever.

For teachers: denoting a decimal fraction in which a figure or group of figures is repeated indefinitely.

- One divided by three results in a recurring decimal of zero point three three three.
- The student failed to use the correct notation to indicate a recurring digit, leading to a rounding error in the final calculation.

### 3. a repetition

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal · Literary

the act of something coming back or happening again.

For teachers: the instance or act of returning or happening again; a recurrence.

- The recurring of the seasons brings a sense of comfort to the farmers.
- The constant recurring of these themes in her poetry suggests a deep preoccupation with the passage of time.

## Examples

- She has a recurring dream about flying over the ocean.
- The company struggled to fix a recurring technical error that caused the website to crash every Sunday.
- While the protagonist faces many unique challenges, the recurring theme of isolation provides a consistent emotional anchor throughout the entire novel.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.
