Occasion Meaning
Occasion
- Definition and synonyms of occasion from the online English dictionary from Macmillan Education. This is the British English definition of occasion.View American English definition of occasion. Change your default dictionary to American English.
- Occasion (Noun) An occurrence or state of affairs which causes some event or reaction; a motive or reason. I had no occasion to feel offended, however. Etymology: From ocasion, from occasionem (accusative of occasio), noun of action from perfect passive participle occasus, from verb occado, from prefix ob- + verb cado.
o-kā′zhun, n. a case of something happening: a special time or season: a chance of bringing about something desired: an event which, although not the cause, determines the time at which another happens: a reason or excuse: opportunity: requirement, business: a special ceremony.—v.t. to cause indirectly: to influence.—adj.Occā′sional, falling in the way or happening: occurring only at times: resulting from accident: produced on some special event.—ns.Occā′sionalism, the philosophical system of the Cartesian school for explaining the action of mind upon matter, or the combined action of both by the direct intervention of God, who on the occasion of certain modifications in our minds, excites the corresponding movements of body, and on the occasion of certain changes in our body, awakens the corresponding feelings in the mind; Occā′sionalist; Occasional′ity.—adv.Occā′sionally.—n.Occā′sioner.—On occasion, in case of need: as opportunity offers, from time to time; Take occasion, to take advantage of an opportunity. [Fr.,—L. occasion-em—occidĕre—ob, in the way of, cadĕre, casum, to fall.]
A sense of occasion A feeling of ceremony, fanfare, or pomp and circumstance (about a certain event or situation). She laid out the nice table cloth and dinner settings, lit candles, and had classical music playing to give the dinner a real sense of occasion.
occasionoc‧ca‧sion1 /əˈkeɪʒən/S1W2 noun1timea)[countable]HAPPEN a time when something happenson ... occasionsI’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]SUITABLE a suitable or favourable timeoccasion forThis 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).► see thesaurus at time2special event [countable]HAPPEN an important social event or ceremonyI’m saving this bottle of champagne for a special occasion.► see thesaurus at event