Incurs

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To bring upon oneself undesirable outcomes, often due to decisions made
2. To attract negative consequences as a result of one's choices or actions
3. Causes oneself to face a penalty or liability because of an action taken

Etymology: "Incurs" is the third-person singular present form of "incur", so its story is the story of that verb. The verb came into Middle English as "incurren", borrowed through Anglo-Norman "encurir" and Middle French "encourir" from Old French "encorre", all descending from the Latin "incurrere", meaning "to run into" or "to run against". The physical image of running into something survives in the verb's English meaning, which is about running into trouble rather than into a person or wall. The English sense of "incur" is therefore one of consequence: when someone incurs a debt, a penalty, or a loss, they have run straight into it. The meaning moved from a literal collision to an abstract outcome, so that the verb now describes unwelcome results one brings on oneself or that come one's way as a consequence of action.

Synonyms: enters, invades, assumes

Antonyms: avoids, escapes