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.

BBC Sport's TV and radio football pundits and co-commentators have predicted what will happen over the next five weeks, and we have asked AI and Opta's 'supercomputer' for their picks too.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

That isn’t supposed to happen to Nestlé: Unflashy yet reliable products such as Nescafé instant coffee and Fancy Feast cat food are expected to deliver steady gains and a solid dividend, rather than wild selloffs.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

But that didn’t happen, he said, so on Tuesday, he and a dozen other members of the charro community came out to speak against the ban.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

In part due to the explosion, AST expects a three- to six-month delay in launching its commercial service, which could now happen in the first half of 2027 according to William Blair analyst Louie DiPalma.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

Nevertheless, this tiny tree fire was probably the most exciting thing to happen all year.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

happen

Example Sentences

Related Words