Word
incur
Meanings
to experience an unwanted result or consequence because of something you did
to become subject to a cost, debt, or responsibility as a result of an action
Definition
To incur something is to bring it upon yourself, usually as a result of your actions.
When you incur something, you cause it to happen to you because of what you do. It is often used with negative results such as costs, debts, or criticism. The word is common in formal and professional contexts, especially when talking about consequences.
Examples
- If we ignore the maintenance schedule, we may incur serious delays later in the year.
- She incurred additional travel costs after changing her flight at the last minute.
- I don’t want to incur anyone’s anger by raising the issue in public without warning.
- They incurred penalties because they submitted the required documents too late.
Common mistake
Learners often say "incur to" (e.g., "incur to costs"), but incur is used directly with a noun: "incur costs."
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More verbs
- analyze To examine something carefully in order to understand it or explain it.
- scrutinize To scrutinize something is to examine it very carefully and in detail.
- affect To affect something is to influence it or cause it to change.
- allude To allude means to mention or suggest something indirectly without saying it clearly.
- elude To elude someone or something is to avoid being caught, understood, or remembered.