oc·ca·sion

(ə-kā′zhən)

1. An event or happening, or the time of an event or happening: On several occasions, we saw him riding a motorcycle.

2. A significant event, especially a large or important social gathering: The reception proved to be quite the occasion.

3. A favorable or appropriate time or juncture: saw the layoff as an occasion to change careers. See Synonyms at opportunity.

a. A cause of or reason for something: a trade disagreement that furnished the occasion for war. See Synonyms at cause.

b. A need created by a particular circumstance: "He must buy what he has little occasion for" (Laurence Sterne).

5. occasions Archaic Personal requirements or necessities.

tr.v. oc·ca·sioned, oc·ca·sion·ing, oc·ca·sions

To provide occasion for; cause: "The broadcast and its immediate aftermath occasioned a cascade of media commentary" (Lewis Sorley).

Idioms:

on occasion

From time to time; now and then.

rise to the occasion

To find the ability to deal with an unexpected challenge.

take the occasion

To make use of the opportunity (to do something).

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin occāsiō, occāsiōn-, from occāsus, past participle of occidere, to fall : ob-, down; see ob- + cadere, to fall; see kad- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

occasions

(əˈkeɪʒənz)

pl n

1. (sometimes singular) needs; necessities

2. personal or business affairs

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

occasions - something you have to do; "he minded his own specialized occasions"

business - an immediate objective; "gossip was the main business of the evening"