happen upon

VERB

come across

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bump into discover notice stumble upon uncover unearth

WEAK

chance upon hit upon light upon meet

Antonyms

STRONGEST

miss

VERB

find

Synonyms

STRONGEST

detect discover encounter identify locate meet notice recover spot strike turn up uncover unearth

STRONG

collar corral descry discern distinguish espy expose observe perceive pinpoint recognize sight

WEAK

arrive at bring to light bump into chance upon come across come up with come upon dig up fall in with ferret out hit upon lay fingers on light upon make out run across run into scare up smoke out stumble upon track down trip on

Antonyms

STRONGEST

avoid leave lose miss overlook pass by

STRONG

misunderstand neglect

WEAK

fail fall short forfeit

VERB

guess

Synonyms

STRONGEST

believe calculate divine fathom infer predict presume pretend solve speculate suggest suppose surmise think

STRONG

chance conjecture deduce deem estimate fancy guesstimate hazard hypothesize judge opine penetrate pick postulate predicate reason reckon select survey suspect theorize venture

WEAK

dare say go out on a limb jump to a conclusion lump it size up take a shot at take a stab at think likely work out

Antonyms

STRONGEST

abstain disbelieve ignore misunderstand neglect question wonder

STRONG

prove refuse reject

WEAK

measure

VERB

locate

Synonyms

STRONGEST

detect discover establish pinpoint spot station strike uncover unearth

STRONG

determine hook place position read

WEAK

come across come upon ferret out get at hit upon lay one's hands on light upon meet with pick up on pin down search out smell out smoke out stumble on track down trip over zero in on

Antonyms

STRONGEST

lose miss overlook pass by

STRONG

displace

WEAK

depart leave move

VERB

pick up

Synonyms

STRONGEST

acquire buy gain gather get have learn purchase score take

WEAK

annex chalk up come across compass cull extract garner get the hang of glean procure secure

Antonyms

STRONGEST

forfeit lose miss surrender yield

WEAK

release throw away

VERB

strike

Synonyms

STRONGEST

arrive at catch reach seize take

STRONG

achieve attain effect encounter uncover unearth

WEAK

chance upon come across come upon dig up hit upon lay bare light upon open up stumble across turn up

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

happen upon

About two-thirds of people say they just happen upon health and wellness information from influencers, rather than actively look for it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

Schwarz’s wares, they happen upon Mr. Saraceni’s nearly 16-foot-long Walking Piano.

From New York Times ● Jun. 14, 2024

The museum is not in a place that would allow a person to just happen upon it.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 6, 2022

Other times, assistant coaches would happen upon neighborhood folks shooting baskets at midnight and have no idea how they got in, how they turned on the lights, and how they accessed the basketball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2022

“We will stroll the street near the train depot and make it appear that we happen upon Mrs. Maroney by chance,” Aunt Kitty explained as we took off in a buggy for Philadelphia.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

happen upon

Example Sentences

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