Incurr

Incurr is a verb meaning to become liable or subject to something as a result of one’s actions. It is most often used with costs, expenses, debts, penalties, liabilities, damages, or risks. For example, a company may incur significant operating costs, or a traveler may incur a fee; failing to meet requirements can incur penalties.

Usage is formal and largely transitive: incur + noun phrase. The object is something that is incurred, not something that is paid in advance. Phrases such as “incur expenses,” “incur a debt,” or “incur penalties” are common, and the past participle form incurred is used in passive constructions like “expenses incurred” or “penalties incurred.”

Etymology traces incur to Middle English incurren, from Old French incurer, from Latin incurrere, literally “to run toward” (in- toward + currere to run). The sense evolved from the physical idea of running into something to the figurative idea of bringing costs, obligations, or liabilities upon oneself.

See also: accrue, liability, obligation, penalty. Incur is typically used in legal, financial, or formal contexts and is less common in casual speech, where phrases like “end up paying” or simply “pay” might be used instead.