incur

present singular third person incurs · participle present incurring · participle past incurred · past incurred · alternative encur

1. transitiveTo bring upon oneself or expose oneself to, especially something inconvenient, harmful, or onerous; to become liable or subject to.

   Cruelty incurs calamity.

   5 more examples

   Near-synonym: contract (debts, etc.)

   I've incurred scorn and odium for my actions.

   VVherefore I beſeech every one vvhom it may concerne, to put on a ſerious diſplicence, upon theſe occaſions, that they may not incurre this menace of Chriſt, VVoe be unto you that laugh novv, but rather entitle themſelves to this promiſe of the Holy Ghoſt, They ſhall laugh in the latter day.

   1648, Walter Montagu, “The Eleventh Treatise. Of Medisance or Detraction. §. II. Some Rules whereby to Square Our Discourse, and an Expedient Offered towards the Correction of Medisance.”, in Miscellanea Spiritualia: Or, Devout Essaies, London: […] W[illiam] Lee, D[aniel] Pakeman, and G[abriel] Bedell, […], →OCLC, page 135

   [T]he master in his wrath may easily incur worse evil himself than he inflicts—[...]

   1891, “The Hellenica”, in Henry Graham Dakyns, transl., The works of Xenophon, Book 5, Chapter 3

   And here it is to be noted that hatred is incurred as well on account of good actions as of bad;

   1910, Nicholas Machiavelli, translated by Ninian Hill Thomson, The Prince, Chapter XIX

   Synonyms: contract

   1. transitiveaccountingTo render (somebody, or oneself) liable or subject to.

      Near-synonyms: entail, invoke

      2 more examples

      The least neglect of duty will incur[...] the penalty of thirty-nine well laid on in the morning.

      1861, Francis Colburn Adams, “Chapter VII”, in An Outcast

      Lest you incur me much more damage in my fame than you have done me pleasure in preserving my life.

      1605 August (first performance), Geo[rge] Chapman, Ben Ionson, Ioh[n] Marston, Eastward Hoe. […], London: […] [George Eld] for William Aspley, published September 1605, →OCLC, (please specify the page)

      Synonyms: contract, occasion, entail, invoke

2. obsoletetransitiveTo enter or pass into.
3. intransitiveobsoleteTo fall within a period or scope; to occur; to run into danger.