occasion

/ken;ken/n
[C]particulartime(atwhichaneventtakesplace) , , :on
this/thatoccasion []*onthepresent/lastoccasion []*onone
occasion,ieonce *onrareoccasions *I'vemethimonseveraloccasions.
.
[sing]~(forsth)suitableorrighttime(forsth);opportunity ; :Thisisnotan
occasionforlaughter. .*I'llbuyoneiftheoccasionarises,ieifIgetthe
chance. .*Heusedtheoccasiontoexpressallhisoldgrievances
againstthechairman. .
[U](fml )reason;need ; ; :I'vehadnooccasiontovisithimrecently.
.*Youhavenooccasiontobeangry. .*She'snothad
muchoccasiontospeakFrench. .
[C]specialeventorcelebration :Theweddingwasquiteanoccasion.
.
[C](fml )immediatebutincidentalorsubordinatecause(ofsth)
, :Therealcauseoftheriotwasunclear,buttheoccasionwasthearrestof
twomen. , .
(idm )onoc`casion(fml )nowandthen;wheneverthereisneed ; .
ontheoccasionofsth(fml )atthetimeof(acertainevent) :onthe
occasionofhisdaughter'swedding .(have)asenseofoc`casion(have
a)naturalfeelingforwhatisrightorfittingforaparticularevent,etc
:Heworehisshabbiestclothestotheparty:hehasnosenseofoccasion!
, !
>occasionv[Tn,Dn.n,Dn.pr]~sth(tosb)(fml )bethecauseofsth ;
:Whatoccasionedsuchanangryresponse? ?*
Stephen'sbehaviouroccasionedhisparentsmuchanxiety.
.
NOTEONUSAGE :Occasion,opportunityandchanceallindicateatimewhenitis
possibletodosomething.*occasion opportunity chance
.Occasionsuggeststhatthetimeissociallysuitablefortheactivity*occasion
:Aweddingisanoccasionforcelebration. .*
I'llspeaktohimiftheoccasionarises. .Opportunityandchance
suggestthatthenecessaryphysicalcircumstancesfordoingsomethingarepresent
*opportunity chance :Itooktheopportunityofvisiting
myauntwhileIwasinBirmingham. .*Ihope
yougetachancetorelax. .Chancecanalsoindicateadegreeof
probability*chance :Whatareyourchancesofbeingpromoted?
?Occasionmayrefertotheparticulartimewhensomethinghappens
*occasion :I'vemetheronseveraloccasionsrecently.
.
ExcerptfromOxfordAdvancedLearnersDictionary,4thed.
OXFORDCollocations|dictionaryforstudentsofEnglish
occasion noun
1 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.
2 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.
3 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.

Oxford University Press Special Pages | Usage Notes

 occasion (PARTICULAR TIME) noun [C]
1 a particular time, especially when something happens or has happened:
We met on several occasions to discuss the issue.
I've heard him be rude to her on a number of occasions.
I seem to remember that on that occasion he was with his wife.
2 a special or formal event:
Sara's party was quite an occasion - there were over a hundred people there.
At the wedding he sang a song specially written for the occasion.
I have a suit but I only wear it on special occasions.
The coronation of a new king is, of course, a historic occasion.
Congratulations on the occasion of your wedding anniversary.
3 FORMAL an opportunity or reason for doing something or for something to happen:
The 200th anniversary of Mozart's death was the occasion for hundreds of special films, books and
concerts.
An occasion may arise when you can use your knowledge of French.
The bride took/used the occasion to make a short speech.
have occasion to do sth FORMAL

to need to do something:
Of course, as a teacher I had authority, but rarely did I have occasion to use it.
on occasion
sometimes but not often:
He has, on occasion, made a small mistake.
CambridgeAdvancedLearnersDictionary,2nded.

 occasion
1 a) [ countable ] a time when something happens
on ... occasions
Ive 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 [ countable ] an important social event or ceremony :
Im saving this bottle of champagne for a special occasion.
3 [ 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, youre the first person Ill 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 RISE 1 ( 9 )
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES
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.
PHRASES
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.
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES
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.
VERBS
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.
PHRASES
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.

LongmanDictionaryofContemporaryEnglish,5thed.

occasion
1 occasion occasions
An occasion is a time when something happens, or a case of it happening.
I often think fondly of an occasion some years ago at Covent Garden.
Mr Davis has been asked on a number of occasions.
N-COUNT
2 occasion occasions
An occasion is an important event, ceremony, or celebration.
Taking her with me on official occasions has been a challenge.
It will be a unique family occasion.
N-COUNT: usu supp N
= function
3 occasion occasions
An occasion for doing something is an opportunity for doing it. (FORMAL)
It is an occasion for all the family to celebrate.
It is always an important occasion for setting out government policy.
N-COUNT: N for n/-ing
= opportunity
4 occasion occasions occasioning occasioned
To occasion something means to cause it. (FORMAL)
He argued that the release of hostages should not occasion a change in policy.
VB

5 occasion
If you have occasion to do something, it is necessary for you to do it.
We have had occasion to deal with members of the group on a variety of charges.
PHR: V inflects, PHR to-inf

6 occasion
If something happens on occasion, it happens sometimes, but not very often.
He treated them seriously and, on occasion, entertained them hilariously.
He translated not only from the French but also, on occasion, from the Polish.
PHR: N inflects, PHR with cl
= occasionally
7 occasion
If you say that someone rose to the occasion, you mean that they did what was necessary to
successfully overcome a difficult situation.
Inverness, however, rose to the occasion in the second half, producing some of the best football
they have played for some time.
PHR: V inflects
Collins COBUILD English Dictionary for Advanced Learners
(c) HarperCollins Publishers.