Oc·cur v. i. [imp. & p. p. Occurred p. pr. & vb. n. Occurring ]
  1. To meet; to clash. [Obs.]
     The resistance of the bodies they occur with.   --Bentley.
  2. To go in order to meet; to make reply. [Obs.]
     I must occur to one specious objection.   --Bentley.
  3. To meet one's eye; to be found or met with; to present itself; to appear.
     In Scripture, though the word heir occur, yet there is no such thing as =\“heir” in our author's sense.\=   --Locke.
  4. To happen; to take place; as, I will write if opportunity occurs.
  5. To come to the mind; to arise in the mind; to suggest itself; to be presented to the imagination or memory; -- of an idea or thought; as, it never occurred to me to call John to ask.
     There doth not occur to me any use of this experiment for profit.   --Bacon.
  ◄ ►
  occur
       v 1: come to pass; "What is happening?"; "The meeting took place
            off without an incidence"; "Nothing occurred that seemed
            important" [syn: happen, hap, go on, pass off, pass,
             fall out, come about, take place]
       2: come to one's mind; suggest itself; "It occurred to me that
          we should hire another secretary"; "A great idea then came
          to her" [syn: come]
       3: to be found to exist; "sexism occurs in many workplaces";
          "precious stones occur in a large area in Brazil"
       [also: occurring, occurred]