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.

Clement’s followers look to his decades-old utterances to discern what might happen in 2026 as well as 2027.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

Filmmaker Gabriel Mascaro is just over 42, young enough to think like this bathroom-fixated bureaucrat who doesn’t seem to think getting old will happen to them either.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Some devices ship with residential proxy software pre-installed on them—this can happen with certain low-cost video-streaming systems—and sometimes people download the code unwittingly to their smartphones.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

That is a tailwind for defense stocks, although investors have to believe it will happen.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

"What will happen? What can we do?" my mother said.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

happen

Example Sentences

Related Words