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.

These are foundational building blocks of deliciousness, no less worthy because they happen to arrive in powdered form.

From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026

The signing on Tuesday didn’t happen in a public ceremony, and the final version of the executive order drew criticism.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

"But you can't leave a scene mid-way... if it is an action scene where fighters are involved, anything can happen... it is not like shutting a laptop and working for an IT company."

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

But when you ran a zoo, “zoo things” were going to happen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

This means that the negative results must happen twelve times in a row.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

happen

Example Sentences

Related Words