Incurred is a verb meaning to become liable or subject to (usually costs or liabilities) as a result of one’s actions or decisions. It typically appears in formal or legal contexts. The word denotes the experience of costs or penalties arising from behavior, and is commonly used with nouns like expenses, debts, or damages.
"The company incurred significant losses after the market downturn."
"By signing the contract, you incurred several legal obligations."
"They incurred heavy fines due to noncompliance with safety regulations."
"The project incurred additional costs when the supplier failed to deliver on time."
Incurred comes from the verb incur, which traces to the Latin incurrere, formed from in- ‘in, into’ + currere ‘to run, to flow, to hasten’ and later adapted into Old French encorier or encurir before entering Middle English as incuren. The sense evolved from ‘to run into’ or ‘to meet with’ to ‘to bring liabilities or costs upon oneself’ as financial or legal obligations were attached to actions. The word’s core meaning settled around encountering something unwelcome as a consequence, with the past participle incurred aligning with standard English verb conjugation. First attested in Middle English and early Modern English legal documents, incur has retained its dominant sense of triggering or accruing costs, fines, debts, or responsibilities by one’s conduct. The passive form incurred is commonly encountered in formal writing and legal discourse, and the phrase incur expenses is a fixed collocation across business, accounting, and policy texts. In contemporary usage, incurred is almost exclusively financial or liability-related, though it can also apply to non-miscalculations such as reputational costs in socio-economic discussions. The word remains prevalent in corporate reporting and compliance contexts, where statements reflect expenses that have been incurred but not yet paid, or liabilities incurred during a reporting period. The historical trajectory underscores the shift from literal movement toward a figurative encounter with consequences, maintaining a tight link to responsibility and obligation. Word histories indicate a robust usage pattern since the 16th century, with modern usage consistently emphasizing the actor’s involvement in unfavorable outcomes.
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Words that rhyme with "Incurred"
-red sounds
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Pronounce as in-ˈkɜːrd in UK or US; US: ɪnˈkɜːrd, UK: ɪnˈkɜːd, AU: ɪnˈkɜːd. The primary stress sits on the second syllable: in-CURRED. Start with a short, lax vowel in the first syllable, then a strong, rhoticized or non-rhotic /ɜː/ depending on accent, and finish with a light d. If you’re streaming quickly, ensure the final /d/ is crisp but not overemphasized to avoid a clipped ending. Audio reference: [pronunciation audio in your tutorial].
Common mistakes include reducing it to a single syllable (in- curd) or misplacing stress on the first syllable. Another error is elongating the second vowel into a long /ɜː/ in casual speech, making it sound like 'in-CURD'. Correction: keep two clearly distinct syllables with primary stress on the second: in-CURRED, and use a short /ɪ/ or /ɪ/ in the first vowel, then /ˈkɜːr/ or /ˈkɜːd/ depending on accent, finishing with a crisp d. Practice with minimal pairs like “intruded” vs “incurred” to feel the rhythm.
In US English you’ll hear ɪnˈkɜːrd with rhotacized /ɜːr/ and a clear r-color; in many UK varieties you may hear ɪnˈkɜːd with non-rhotic r, so the ending feels lighter and the /r/ is less pronounced in RP. Australian tends to match US in rhoticity but may have a flattened /ɜː/ vowel and slightly different vowel length. Pay attention to the /ɜː/ or /ɜːr/ depending on rhoticity; ensure the final d is crisp across all accents.
The difficulty lies in the two-syllable structure with a strong consonant cluster at the second syllable and the vowel /ɜː/ which can vary by accent. The ending /d/ needs crisp contact without voicing full release in rapid speech, and the initial unstressed /ɪ/ should be quick and light. Additionally, the syllable boundary after the first vowel anchors the main stress on -CUR-; misplacing stress or conflating with 'occur' or 'curse' makes it feel off.
A unique feature is the relative instability of the vowel in the second syllable across accents. Some speakers have a more centralized or slightly back vowel in the second syllable, while others maintain a full /ɜː/ vowel. The critical point is sustaining the stressed /ˈkɜːr/ or /ˈkɜːd/ portion with a clean, non-labialized /d/ at the end; practice listening for the subtle vowel shift and align your mouth shape to a rounded mid-central vowel before the /r/ or /d/ depending on your accent.
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