occasion
[noun]
Synonyms:
- time, chance, moment, opening, opportunity, window
- event, affair, celebration, experience, happening, occurrence
- reason, call, cause, excuse, ground(s), justification, motive, prompting, provocation
[verb]
Synonyms:
- cause, bring about, engender, generate, give rise to, induce, inspire, lead to, produce, prompt, provoke

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Related Idioms: point in time
Related Words: basis, foundation, ground, warrant, justification, right, excuse

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English Thesaurus: event, occurrence, incident, occasion, affair, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. oc‧ca‧sion¹ S1 W2 /əˈkeɪʒən/ noun
[Word Family: noun: occasion; adverb: occasionally; adjective: occasional]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: Latin occasio, from occidere 'to fall down']

1. TIME
a) [countable] a time when something happens
on ... occasions
I’ve seen Jana with them on several occasions.
On this occasion we were sitting in a park in Madrid.
She had met Zahid on two separate occasions.
b) [singular] a suitable or favourable time
occasion for
This was the occasion for expressions of friendship by the two presidents.
► Do not use occasion to mean ‘a time when it is possible for you to do what you want to do’. Use opportunity or chance: Do not waste this opportunity (NOT this occasion).

2. SPECIAL EVENT [countable] an important social event or ceremony:
I’m saving this bottle of champagne for a special occasion.

3. CAUSE/REASON [uncountable] formal a cause or reason:
His remark was the occasion of a bitter quarrel.
I had occasion to call on him last year.

4. if (the) occasion arises formal if a particular action ever becomes necessary:
If ever the occasion arises when I want advice, you’re the first person I’ll come to.

5. on occasion sometimes but not often:
On occasion, prisoners were allowed visits from their families.

6. on the occasion of something formal at the time of an important event:
on the occasion of his second wedding ⇒ rise to the occasion at rise¹(9)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. occasion² verb [transitive] formal
to cause something:
She had a long career break occasioned by her husband’s job being moved to Paris.
occasion somebody something
Your behaviour has occasioned us a great deal of anxiety.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

occasion
noun
I. time when sth happens
ADJ. many, numerous It was the first of many such occasions.
rare | previous | separate
VERB + OCCASION recall, remember
PREP. on an/the ~ The police were called out on 24 separate occasions.
on ~(s) He has even been known to go shopping himself on occasion.
PHRASES a number of occasions I have stayed there on a number of occasions.
on one occasion On one occasion he even rang me in the middle of the night.
on that/this ~ On this occasion, as it happens, the engine started immediately.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

occasion
II. suitable time
ADJ. right, suitable
OCCASION + VERB arise I'll speak to him if the occasion arises.
PREP. ~ for It should have been an occasion for rejoicing.
PHRASES have occasion to do sth Last year we had occasion to visit relatives in Cornwall.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

occasion
III. special event
ADJ. auspicious, big, great, important, memorable, momentous, special | festive, happy, joyous | formal, sad, solemn | social | ceremonial, state The Queen's coach is only used for state occasions.
VERB + OCCASION celebrate, mark a party to mark the occasion of their daughter's graduation
rise to The choir rose to the occasion and sang beautifully.
PHRASES for all occasions, for every occasion We sell cards and notepaper for all occasions.
a sense of occasion On the day of the wedding there was a real sense of occasion.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

occasion

several occasions
He has helped me on several occasions.
many occasions
I have seen him drunk on many occasions.
numerous occasions
She has been late on numerous occasions.
two/three etc occasions
He was given a red card on two occasions this season.
a rare occasion (=used when something does not happen often)
Only on rare occasions did she ever receive a letter.
a particular occasion
On that particular occasion, he greeted me by kissing my hand.
a previous occasion
He insisted then, as on every previous occasion, that he was innocent.
a separate occasion
I had heard this story on at least four separate occasions.
a different occasion
The same person can react differently on different occasions.
such occasions (=an occasion like the one mentioned or described)
He had a box of toys by his desk for such occasions.
a number of occasions
The crowd interrupted her speech on a number of occasions.
more than one occasion (=more than once)
She stayed out all night on more than one occasion.
at least one occasion (=once, and probably more than once)
On at least one occasion he was arrested for robbery.
a special occasion
She used her best china on special occasions.
a big/great/splendid occasion
The big occasion for country people was the Agricultural Fair.
a formal occasion
He wore the suit on formal occasions.
a social occasion
I prefer not to discuss business at social occasions.
a ceremonial occasion (=a very formal official occasion)
The gowns are worn only on ceremonial occasions.
a happy/joyful occasion
The wedding had been a joyful occasion.
a sad/solemn occasion
He did not want his funeral to be a sad and solemn occasion, but a celebration of his life.
a festive occasion (=when you celebrate something)
The Great Hall had been prepared for the festive occasion.
a historic occasion (=important as part of history)
This is truly a historic occasion.
celebrate an occasion
To celebrate the occasion, a small party was held at his home.
mark an occasion (=do something special to celebrate an event)
The bells were rung to mark the occasion.
suit the occasion
The table was decorated to suit the occasion.
a sense of occasion (=a feeling that an event is very special or important)
The music gave the event a real sense of occasion.
enter into the spirit of the occasion (=join in a social occasion in an eager way)
People entered into the spirit of the occasion by enjoying a picnic before the outdoor concert.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

occasion
noun
1.
BAD: The scholarship provided me with my first occasion to travel overseas.
GOOD: The scholarship provided me with my first opportunity to travel overseas.
BAD: I never had occasion to take the Proficiency examination.
GOOD: I never had a chance to take the Proficiency examination.

Usage Note:
occasion = the time when an event happens: 'I've been to Rome on several occasions.' (= several times)
opportunity = a time when it is possible to do something that you want to do: 'The meeting on Tuesday will be a good opportunity for you to make some new contacts.' 'She has considerable ability and should be given more opportunity to use it.'
chance = an informal word for 'opportunity': 'If I had the chance, I'd like to be an airline pilot.' 'I've been so busy this morning I haven't had a chance to sit down.'

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2.
BAD: I remember that in the last occasion he had a very bad cold.
GOOD: I remember that on the last occasion he had a very bad cold.

Usage Note:
on a particular occasion (NOT in ): 'I am honoured that you have invited me to join you on this special occasion.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

event something that happens, especially something important, interesting, or unusual:
He spoke of the tragic event in which more than 100 people died.
recent political events
occurrence /əˈkʌrəns $ əˈkʌrəns/ formal something that happens – used especially when saying how often something happens:
Divorce is a common occurrence these days.
Storms like this one are fortunately a rare occurrence.
Accidents are almost a daily occurrence on this road.
incident something that happens, especially something that is unusual or unpleasant, or something that is one of several events:
He died after a violent incident outside a nightclub.
This latest incident could put an end to his career.
occasion an important social event or celebration:
She only wore the dress for special occasions.
It was his 100th birthday, and friends and family gathered to mark the occasion.
affair [usually singular] something that happens, especially something shocking in political or public life which involves several people and events:
The affair has caused people to lose confidence in their government.
phenomenon /fɪˈnɒmənən, fɪˈnɒmɪnən $ fɪˈnɑːmənɑːn, -nən/ something that happens or exists in society, science, or nature, especially something that is studied because it is difficult to understand:
natural phenomena such as earthquakes
Homelessness is not a new phenomenon.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

time a time when something happens or when you should do something:
The last time I saw her she was in high school.
It’s time for you to go to bed.
The best time to visit Scotland is in late May.
occasion a time when something happens. Occasion is more formal than time:
They have been seen together on several occasions.
The last occasion the two teams met, the Giants won easily.
moment a particular point in time when something happens:
At that moment (=at exactly that time), the door bell rang.
The next moment she was gone.
point a particular time during a longer period of time:
At one point during the play she completely forgot her lines.
the lowest point of the holiday
a long time a long period of time, especially many months or years:
They’ve been married a long time – nearly 30 years.
The house has been empty for a long time.
all day/night/year/week continuing for the whole day, night, year etc – used especially to emphasize that it is a long time:
It’s going to take me all night to finish this essay.
He’s in London all week, and only comes home at the weekends.
hours/weeks/months/years many hours, weeks, months, or years – used to emphasize that it is a long time, or much longer than it should be:
It’s years since I rode a bike.
My wife had to wait months for a hospital appointment.
ages especially British English informal a very long time:
I’ve been standing here for ages.
The software takes ages to load.
They’ve lived there for ages.
a while (also some time) a fairly long time:
I hadn’t seen Paul for a while, and he’d completely changed.
It may be some time before the company starts to make a profit.
the longest time American English a very long time:
For the longest time, my daughter wasn’t reading at all.
It took me the longest time to figure out how to work the sunroof in this car.
a minute/moment a short time:
I’ll call you back in a minute.
Can I show you something? It will only take a moment.
a second a very short time:
I’ll be ready in a second.
Just a second – I can’t find my wallet.
an instant written a very short time:
In an instant, they were gone.
He paused for an instant.
a little while/a short while a short period of time, especially a few hours, days, or weeks:
I’ve been to Tokyo, but I was only there for a short while.
I saw him a little while ago.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

occasion
əˈkeɪʒən
See: on occasion

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲