occasion

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. An event or happening; an incident.
2. n. The time at which an event occurs.
3. n. A significant event.
4. n. A favorable or appropriate time or juncture; an opportunity. See Synonyms at opportunity.
5. n. Something that brings on or precipitates an action, condition, or event, especially the immediate cause. See Synonyms at cause.
6. n. Something that provides a reason or justification; a ground.
7. n. A need created by a particular circumstance: "He must buy what he has little occasion for” ( Laurence Sterne).
8. n. A large or important social gathering.
9. n. Archaic Personal requirements or necessities.
10. v. To provide occasion for; cause: "The year's annual reports occasion an especially revealing glimpse of how corporations lend . . . embellishment to the stark numbers of the comptroller's office” ( Mark Muro).
11. idiom. on occasion From time to time; now and then.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. An occurrence; an event; an incident; a happening.
2. n. A special occurrence or happening; a particular time or season, especially one marked by some particular occurrence or juncture of circumstances; instance; time; season.
3. n. An event which affords a person a reason or motive for doing something or seeking something to be done at a particular time, whether he desires it should be done or not; hence, an opportunity for bringing about a desired result; also, a need; an exigency. Used relatively.
4. n. Used absolutely, though referring to a particular action.
5. n. In negative phrases.
6. n. In the abstract, convenience; opportunity: not referring to a particular act.
7. n. Need; necessity: in the abstract.
8. n. An accidental cause. A person or something connected with a person who unintentionally brings about a given result.
9. n. An event, or series of events, which lead to a given result, but are not of such a nature as generally to produce such results: sometimes used loosely for an efficient cause in general, as in the example from Merlin.
10. n. An incident cause, or cause determining the particular time when an event shall occur that is sure to be brought about sooner or later by other causes. The idea seems to be vague.
11. n. Causal action; agency. See def. 4. Unintentional action.
12. n. Chance; occurrence; incident.
13. n. A consideration; a reason for action, not necessarily an event that has just occurred.
14. n. Business; affair: chiefly in the plural.
15. n. A high event; a special ceremony or celebration; a function.
16. n. plural Necessities of nature.
17. n. Synonyms and Opportunity, Occasion. See opportunity.2, 3, and Occurrence, etc. (see exigency), conjuncture, necessity.
18. To cause incidentally or indirectly; bring about or be the means of bringing about or producing; produce.
19. To lead or induce by an occasion or opportunity; impel or induce by circumstances; impel; lead.
20. Synonyms To bring about, give rise to, be the cause of.

Wiktionary

1. v. transitive To give occasion to; to cause; to produce; to induce; as, to occasion anxiety.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A falling out, happening, or coming to pass; hence, that which falls out or happens; occurrence; incident; event.
2. n. A favorable opportunity; a convenient or timely chance; convenience.
3. n. An occurrence or condition of affairs which brings with it some unlooked-for event; that which incidentally brings to pass an event, without being its efficient cause or sufficient reason; accidental or incidental cause.
4. n. Need; exigency; requirement; necessity.
5. n. A reason or excuse; a motive; a persuasion.
6. v. To give occasion to; to cause; to produce; to induce.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. reason.
2. n. the time of a particular event
3. v. give occasion to
4. n. an opportunity to do something
5. n. a vaguely specified social event
6. n. an event that occurs at a critical time