To recur means to happen again, especially repeatedly or at regular intervals. When your favorite show recurs every Tuesday night, it keeps coming back on the same schedule. When a dream recurs, you experience the same or similar dream multiple times.

The word suggests a pattern of return rather than a one-time comeback. A headache that recurs keeps coming back over days or weeks. A problem that recurs in your math homework shows up again and again, signaling you need to understand something better. Historical events sometimes seem to recur when similar situations play out in different eras.

Something that happens repeatedly is called recurring. A recurring appointment happens on a regular schedule, like piano lessons every Wednesday. A recurring character in a book series appears in multiple stories. Teachers often look for recurring mistakes in student work to identify concepts that need more practice.

The word recurrence describes the fact or instance of something happening again. Scientists track the recurrence of comets that orbit past Earth. Doctors monitor patients for the recurrence of illnesses that might come back after treatment. Understanding patterns of recurrence helps people prepare for and sometimes prevent future recurrences.