Occur or Transpire? The misuse of these words is very common. Occur means simply to take place, to happen; transpire to leak out, to come to light. Hence, it is incorrect to say, The annual school exhibition transpired last week. The proper word here is occurred. But transpire is correctly used in such a sentence as, The proceedings of the caucus have not yet transpired. [ Pure English, Hackett And Girvin, 1884 ]