Occasion — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ə-ˈkā-zhən/ oc·ca·sion

Meaning & Definition of Occasion

Occasion (noun)

  1. a special event or ceremony, celebration
  2. a favorable opportunity or circumstance
  3. a state of affairs that provides a ground or reason

Occasion (verb)

  1. bring about, cause

Occasion (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a particular point at which an event takes place

    "on that occasion, I didn't actually meet your father"

    similar: moment, time
    related: flash, instant, jiffy, minute, second, shake, split second, trice, twinkle, wink, bit, space, spell, stretch, while

  2. a favorable combination of circumstances, time, and place

    "the substitute violinist rose to the occasion and performed the piece beautifully"

    similar: break, chance, opening, opportunity, room, shot
    related: play, way, juncture, pass

  3. someone or something responsible for a result

    "the missing money proved to be the occasion of much strife between the two brothers"

    similar: antecedent, causality, causation, cause, reason
    related: consideration, determinant, factor, alpha and omega, be-all and end-all, impetus, incentive, inspiration, instigation, stimulus, mother, origin, root, source, spring
    opposite: aftereffect, aftermath, consequence, corollary, development, effect, fate, fruit, issue, outcome, outgrowth, product, result, resultant, sequel, sequence, upshot
    near: ramification, denouement, repercussion, conclusion, end, by-product, side effect

  4. something that happens

    "weddings are generally happy occasions"

    similar: affair, circumstance, episode, event, hap, happening, incident, occurrence, thing
    related: coincidence, co-occurrence, fluke, freak, landmark, milepost, milestone, page, phenomenon, turning point, adventure, experience, time, happenchance, happenstance, accident, crisis, emergency, juncture, achievement, deed, exploit, feat, news, tidings

Occasion (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind)

    "the announcement concerning the change in scheduling occasioned much confusion"

    similar: beget, breed, bring, bring about, bring on, catalyze, cause, create, do, draw on, effect, effectuate, engender, generate, induce, invoke, make, produce, prompt, result (in), spawn, translate (into), work, yield, bring forth, give rise to
    related: conduce (to), contribute (to), decide, determine, begin, establish, father, found, inaugurate, initiate, innovate, institute, introduce, launch, pioneer, set, set up, start, advance, cultivate, develop, encourage, forward, foster, further, nourish, nurture, promote, enact, render, turn out
    near: impede, limit, restrict, clamp down (on), crack down (on), crush, dampen, put down, quash, quell, repress, smother, squash, squelch, stifle, subdue, suppress, arrest, check, control, curb, inhibit, rein (in), restrain, retard, can (slang), kill, snuff (out), still, abolish, demolish, destroy, extinguish, liquidate, quench

Related Entry: On occasion (phrase)

On occasion is a different word from Occasion. The synonyms below are for on occasion, not for occasion.

  1. on some occasions

    "She normally doesn't like crowds, but will attend a party on occasion."

    similar: here and there, now, now and then, occasionally, sometimes, at times, ever and anon, every now and then, from time to time, once in a while
    related: intermittently, off and on, periodically, recurrently, infrequently, little, rarely, seldom, irregularly, sporadically, variously
    near: frequently, hourly, much, oft, often, oftentimes, commonly, ordinarily, regularly, routinely, usually, always, consistently, constantly, invariably, continually, continuingly, continuously, incessantly, perpetually, unceasingly, uninterruptedly, endlessly, ever, interminably

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Occasion

The most common words with a similar meaning to Occasion:

moment, time, break, chance, opening, opportunity, room, shot, antecedent, causality, causation, cause, reason, affair, circumstance, episode, event, hap, happening, incident, occurrence, thing, beget, breed, bring, bring about, bring on, catalyze, create, do, draw on, effect, effectuate, engender, generate, induce, invoke, make, produce, prompt

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Occasion

Words with the opposite meaning of Occasion:

aftereffect, aftermath, consequence, corollary, development, effect, fate, fruit, issue, outcome, outgrowth, product, result, resultant, sequel, sequence, upshot

Related Words for Occasion

flash, instant, jiffy, minute, second, shake, split second, trice, twinkle, wink, bit, space, spell, stretch, while, play, way, juncture, pass, consideration, determinant, factor, alpha and omega, be-all and end-all, impetus, incentive, inspiration, instigation, stimulus, mother

Near Antonyms of Occasion

ramification, denouement, repercussion, conclusion, end, by-product, side effect, impede, limit, restrict, clamp down (on), crack down (on), crush, dampen, put down, quash, quell, repress, smother, squash, squelch, stifle, subdue, suppress, arrest, check, control, curb, inhibit, rein (in)

Word Forms of Occasion

Inflections: occasioned, occasioning

Origin & Etymology of Occasion

Middle English occasioun "opportunity, inducement, grounds or justification, occurrence," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French occasion, borrowed from Medieval Latin occāsiōn-, occāsiō "opportunity, circumstance, cause, pretext," going back to Latin, "convenient circumstances, opportunity," from oc-cad-, base of occidere "to be struck down, die, sink below the horizon" + -tiōn- -tiō, suffix of verbal action occident

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Occasion

Words & Phrases Containing Occasion

on occasion, rise to the occasion/challenge

Frequently Asked Questions about Occasion

What does "Occasion" mean?

"Occasion" means a special event or ceremony, celebration. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a special event or ceremony, celebration. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Occasion"?

Other words for "Occasion" include moment, time, break, chance, opening, opportunity, room and shot. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Occasion" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Occasion"?

There are 135 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Occasion". Common alternatives include moment, time, break, chance, opening, opportunity, room, shot, antecedent and causality.

What is the opposite of "Occasion"?

Antonyms of "Occasion" include aftereffect, aftermath, consequence, corollary, development, effect, fate and fruit. Near antonyms include ramification, denouement, repercussion and conclusion.

How do you use "Occasion" in a sentence?

Examples of "Occasion" in a sentence: "on that occasion, I didn't actually meet your father"; "the substitute violinist rose to the occasion and performed the piece beautifully"; "the missing money proved to be the occasion of much strife between the two brothers".

Is "Occasion" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Occasion" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Occasion" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Occasion" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Occasion"?

"Occasion" is pronounced /ə-ˈkā-zhən/ and divided into syllables as oc·ca·sion.