/ə'kʌrəns; ə`kʌrəns/
n
1 [C] event; incident; happening 事件; 事情; 发生的事
*Robbery is now an everyday occurrence. 抢劫的事现在每天都有.
* an unfortunate occurrence 不幸事件.
2 [U] (fml 文) fact, frequency, etc of sth happening 事情发生的事实或频繁
*He's studying the occurrence of accidents on this piece of road, ie how often, etc they take place. 他在研究这段路上发生事故的情形.
3 (idm 习语) be of frequent, rare, common, etc oc`currence (fml 文) happen or take place frequently, rarely, etc 经常、很少...发生
*Riots are of frequent occurrence in this province. 这省经常发生骚乱.

NOTE ON USAGE 用法
*Compare event, occurrenceand incident. 试比较event、occurrence、incident三词. Occurrence is the most neutral and does not indicate a particular type of happening *occurrence为中性词, 并不特指某类型的事
*Divorce has become an everyday occurrence. 离婚已成为每天都有的事了. An event is often a happening of importance *event常指重大事件
*Their wedding will be quite an event, ie a large number of people will attend. 他们的婚礼将是件大事（即将有许多人参加）.
* The events of
1968 changed Western society. 1968年的事件改变了西方社会. An incident is usually of less importance, often occurring in a narrative *incident通常指不太重要的事情, 经常出现于叙述中
*You don't have to write down every little incident in your life. 你不必把生活中每一件事都记录下来. It can also refer to a conflict or disagreement, often involving violence 这个词还可指冲突或不和, 常涉及暴力行动
*The kidnapping caused an international incident. 这一绑架事件引起了国际纠纷.

n
[C]
something that happens
→occurrence
frequent/rare/common occurrence
　Laughter was a rare occurrence in his classroom.
　Flooding in the area is a common occurrence.
[singular]
the fact of something happening
occurrence of
　The frequent occurrence of earthquakes in the area means that the buildings must be specifically designed to withstand the force.