happen

[hap-uhn] / ˈhæp ən /

VERB

come to pass; occur

Synonyms

STRONGEST

appear arise arrive crop up develop fall go on hit materialize meet pass result take effect take place transpire

STRONG

befall betide bump chance down ensue eventuate follow issue light proceed recur shake smoke spring stumble supervene

WEAK

be found become a fact become known become of come about come after come into being come into existence come off luck present itself stumble upon turn out turn up what goes

Antonyms

STRONGEST

cease disappear fail halt lose stop

STRONG

precede

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.

"This is the magic of the cup, anything can happen and today was a crazy and memorable game. Happy that we won the match and we are into the semi-finals now," said Perri.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

“That didn’t happen in this case, did it?”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

It’s an extremely chance meeting, but these kinds of things happen all the time.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

“People are not sitting home waiting and wondering what’s going to happen, which is a very different phenomenon.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 5, 2026

“I’m just trying to figure out the goal. Why you need to do this at all. What you think will happen if you don’t.”

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

happen

Example Sentences

Related Words