First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
incur
verb in·cur \in-ˈkər\
: to cause yourself to have or experience (something unpleasant or unwanted)
in·curredin·cur·ring
Full Definition of INCUR
transitive verb
See incur defined for English-language learners
See incur defined for kids
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Examples of INCUR
- Submitting students to the rigors of learning seemed only to incur the wrath of many of them … —Ben Marcus, Time, 8 Jan. 2001
- Shakespeare … took plots and characters from wherever he pleased, rarely acknowledging sources, and he saw so little sanctity in his own words that anyone could print them who cared to incur the expense—which did not include royalties to Shakespeare. —Walter Kendrick, New York Times Book Review, 29 Oct. 1989
- To be too good-looking is sometimes to incur the dislike, if not the hatred, of the ordinary-looking. —Joseph Epstein, The Middle of My Tether, 1983
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Origin of INCUR
Middle English incurren, from Latin incurrere, literally, to run into, from in- + currere to run — more at car
Rhymes with INCUR
as per, astir, auteur, aver, bestir, Big Sur, Bonheur, chasseur, chauffeur, claqueur, coiffeur, concur, confer, Crèvecoeur, danseur, defer, demur, deter, douceur, du jour, farceur, flaneur, frondeur, hauteur, him/her, his/her, infer, inter, jongleur, larkspur, liqueur, longspur, masseur, millefleur, occur, Pasteur, poseur, prefer, recur, refer, sandbur, sandspur, seigneur, transfer, voyeur, white fir
INCUR Defined for Kids
incur
verb in·cur \in-ˈkər\
in·curredin·cur·ring
Definition of INCUR for Kids
: to experience as a result of a person's own actions <Because of his behavior he incurred suspicion.>
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