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.

But then he said it doesn’t matter anyway because the strait would magically open itself up at the end of hostilities, which he claimed will happen “soon.”

From Salon • 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

Recessions will continue to happen because history will continue to happen.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Helen and Lee said they feared "another outbreak like Kent could happen again" if the MenB vaccine was not made available to 15-24-year-olds on the NHS.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Say what I caused to happen on that awful night.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

happen

Example Sentences

Related Words