incidence

noun

Definition of incidencenext
as in prevalence
the rate at which something happens They found an increased incidence of crime in the city when social programs were cut.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incidence Perez shares how eating more plants lowers incidences of chronic health issues like heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 10 Aug. 2026 Cases have been on the rise in recent years, with overall incidence increasing about 3% annually from 2014 through 2021, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026 Such hotspot maps could become a useful source of information for the public to help determine their risk for Lyme disease, and also provide deeper insight into where ticks move and how that affects the incidence of Lyme. — Alice Park, Time, 7 Aug. 2026 One analysis of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older found nearly 60,000 incident cases of NTM pulmonary disease from 2010 to 2019, with incidence highest in the South and among women, Asian individuals and people aged 80 and older. — Matt Emma, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incidence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incidence
  1. prevalence
  2. occurrence
  3. frequency
Noun
  • The prevalence of tech firms as hotspots for talent signals a wider boom amid Australia’s startup scene, which in recent years has been attracting attention and investments from venture capitalists.
    — Charlotte Hu, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Researchers behind the study, the largest ever of deceased NFL players’ brains, said the true prevalence of brain disease at death was probably higher.
    — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of prevalence
Noun
  • That bewildered shake of the head after Meyer's pitch in that video is not a rare occurrence for Raleigh this year.
    — Eno Sarris, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • And the lichen also avoids non-bearing rocks like granite, sandstone, and quartzite, where its occurrence dropped to less than one percent.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of occurrence
Noun
  • The team designed miniature boats with three cavities tuned to different audible frequencies, enabling them to steer the boat in a particular direction by changing the frequency of the sound waves from a speaker.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Reducing transportation frequency lowers costs but also increases inventory risk and out-of-stock risk.
    — Guy Yehiav, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of frequency

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inchoative
incidence
incident
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Cite this Entry

“Incidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incidence. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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