occasion
noun 1 a particular event, or the time at which it takes place. 2 a suitable or opportune time. 3 a special event or celebration. 4 formal reason or justification: we have occasion to rejoice. verb formal cause. PHRASES on occasion from time to time. rise to the occasion perform well in response to a special situation. ORIGIN Latin, juncture, reason, from occidere go down, set.
Perform another search of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary
About this dictionary
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English contains 145,000 words, phrases, and definitions.
Find out more about Oxford's range of English dictionaries
Sign up for the AskOxford Word of the Day
Search the Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
Search the Concise Dictionary of First Names
|