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.

"It was a bad omen. I had a feeling that something was going to happen," he said, falling silent and staring ahead with eyes frozen.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

And how can the system be reformed so this doesn't continue to happen?

From BBC • May 20, 2026

“Not that it won’t happen this year, but there are some hurdles that they need to clear before getting maximum value from the market,” Mulberry told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026

The findings, published in Nature, support a growing view that human evolution did not happen in one single environment.

From Science Daily • May 20, 2026

It was stupid, but I remember wondering right then if there might be something in this election, some way that things could happen, that would give me a way to do something she might notice.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

happen

Example Sentences

Related Words