What does "occasion" mean?
A favorable opportunity; a convenient or timely chance.
Occasion
/əˈkeɪʒən/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A favorable opportunity; a convenient or timely chance.
- Grammar: occasion is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: reason, a leg up, advantage, adventure.
- Useful contrasts: hinder, inopportune moment, irrelevant factor.
- Usage evidence: Your dress is unsuitable for the occasion.
How to use "occasion"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "occasion" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "occasion" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "occasion" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "occasion" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "occasion" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "reason" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "occasion", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A favorable opportunity; a convenient or timely chance. countable, uncountable
"At this point, she seized the occasion to make her own observation."
- 2 an event that occurs at a critical time wordnet
- 3 The time when something happens. countable, uncountable
"On this occasion, I'm going to decline your offer, but next time I might agree."
- 4 a formal or official social gathering or ceremony of people wordnet
- 5 An occurrence or state of affairs which causes some event or reaction; a motive or reason. countable, uncountable
"I had no occasion to feel offended, however."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 a rational motive for a belief or action wordnet
- 7 Something which causes something else; a cause. countable, uncountable
"[I]t were too vile to ſay, and ſcarce to be beleeued, what we endured: but the occaſion was our owne, for want of prouidence, induſtrie and gouernment, […]"
- 8 an opportunity to do something wordnet
- 9 An occurrence or incident. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 10 the time of a particular event wordnet
- 11 A particular happening; an instance or time when something occurred. countable, uncountable
"I could think of two separate occasions when she had deliberately lied to me."
- 12 A need; requirement, necessity. countable, uncountable
"I have no occasion for firearms."
- 13 A special event or function. countable, uncountable
"Having people round for dinner was always quite an occasion at our house."
- 14 A reason or excuse; a motive; a persuasion. countable, uncountable
"VVhoſe manner was all paſſengers to ſtay, / And entertaine with her occaſions ſly, […]"
Verb
- 1 To cause; to produce; to induce transitive
"It is seen that the mental changes are occasioned by a change of polarity."
- 2 give occasion to wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Your dress is unsuitable for the occasion."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "occasion"?
Common synonyms include: reason, a leg up, advantage, adventure, affair, affair.
How do you use "occasion" in a sentence?
Your dress is unsuitable for the occasion.
How do you pronounce "occasion"?
Pronounced /əˈkeɪʒən/.
Etymology
From Middle English occasioun, from Middle French occasion, from Old French occasiun, from Latin occāsiōnem, noun of action from perfect passive participle occāsus, from verb occidō, from prefix ob- (“down", "away”) + verb cadō (“fall”).