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Showing results for happen. Search instead for hupen.
Definitions

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.

So what might happen if athletic departments lost their tax-exempt, charitable status?

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

Her mom and aunts were encouraging her to do it but she didn’t think it would happen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

“People are not sitting home waiting and wondering what’s going to happen, which is a very different phenomenon.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 5, 2026

What’s much more difficult to grasp, even for those of us now alive, is how we wound up in a world where that might happen.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

You will get through your entire shift without another telephone call; it won’t happen again.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.