recurrence

/rəˈkʌrɪnts/

/rəˈkʌrɪns/

Other forms: recurrences

If something is happening yet again, there's a recurrence of it. Most sports fans hope there isn't a recurrence of last year's losing season.

If you keep getting a hacking cough, then you're having a recurrence — that cough just keeps coming back. The word recurrence has to do with things that repeat or return, often at predictable times. If your dog barks at the same time every day, your neighbors might complain about the recurrence of noise. A note on using this word: reoccurrence means basically the same thing, but recurrence is considered a more stylish choice.

Definitions of recurrence

1. noun

   the event of happening again (especially at regular intervals)
   synonyms: return

   types:

   atavism, reversion, throwback

   a reappearance of an earlier characteristic

   flashback

   an unexpected but vivid recurrence of a past experience (especially a recurrence of the effects of an hallucinogenic drug taken much earlier)

   type of:

   repeat, repetition

   an event that repeats