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.

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

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

She thinks it will take until the end of the year for that to happen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Cissé doesn’t wait around for things to happen.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

"Still plenty of things can happen," Clarke said.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

It became more and more evident to Duane that nothing interesting was going to happen.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el