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.

One thing I never thought would happen was that I’d show movies that came out in the past 25 years.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

The chip stock rally has been so explosive that this sort of pullback was always likely to happen.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

Empower Chief Executive Tim Phillips is expected to continue leading technology efforts as part of Analog Devices after the deal closes, which is slated to happen in the second half of this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

"You have to rethink that situation because in future it's going to happen again and justice will be put off for this length of time."

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Things like that just don’t happen every day.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

happen

Example Sentences

Related Words