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.

The election was one of many primaries across California, Iowa, New Jersey and New Mexico on Tuesday that will shape the midterm elections that will happen across the country in November.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

He waived a no-trade clause to make it happen.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

Now it’s Nvidia’s turn to try to make Windows on Arm happen.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

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

From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026

But when things I said would happen actually happened, she started to come around.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

happen

Example Sentences

Related Words