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.

If public markets are more attractive for companies to list, more value creation can happen there — and more upside can be available to individual investors. 

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

“The skunk at the party—and it could happen in 2026—would be inflation slowly going up, as opposed to slowly going down,” Dimon wrote in the 49-page letter.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

Rarely do they happen after a single swing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

The only thing you knew for sure was that something was going to happen, which made things exciting.

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

happen

Example Sentences

Related Words