concur
kuhn-KER
/kənˈkɜːr/
To express agreement with an opinion; to happen or happen together at the same time.
Concur implies an active, intellectual alignment of opinions, often between equals or experts. It can also describe events that happen simultaneously.
The story behind the word. The word concur comes from the Latin 'concurrere', which literally means 'to run together'. Imagine two people running along different paths who suddenly find themselves running side-by-side toward the same destination. Over time, this physical running together evolved into an intellectual running together—minds meeting on the same path.
Word relationships
- agree: Agree is highly common and informal, whereas concur is formal and often used in professional or legal contexts.
- coincide: Coincide refers strictly to events happening at the same time, while concur can refer to both opinions and events.
- disagree: Disagree is the general term for having a different opinion, while concur is the formal term for sharing the same opinion.
- dissent: Dissent implies a formal, often public, disagreement with a majority opinion, directly opposing concur.
Commonly confused with
- conquer: Conquer means to overcome by force, while concur means to agree or happen at the same time.
Word family
- concurrence (noun): Agreement or simultaneous occurrence.
- concurring (adjective): Agreeing or happening at the same time.
Collocations
- concur with the decision
- heartily concur
- concurring opinion
Example sentences
- "I concur in the judgment of the Court, but write separately to clarify the constitutional basis." In a formal judicial opinion, a judge agrees with the majority decision but wishes to state their own reasons.
- "After reviewing the patient's scans, the second specialist was quick to concur with the original diagnosis." A medical consultation where two doctors reach the same diagnosis.
Memory hook
Think of two people running a race who 'concur' (run together) to cross the finish line at the exact same second. Concur = Minds running together.
When not to use
Do not use concur when someone is reluctantly giving in to a demand; use acquiesce instead.
Fun facts
- In computer science, 'concurrency' refers to the ability of different parts of a program to execute out-of-order or in partial order without affecting the final outcome.
Explore more words
concurrence, concurrent, simultaneous, align, unison, concerted
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