happens

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.

See Examples For:

happens

If that happens, he said, “the world will be fragmented, and it’ll be very dangerous for us.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

"It happens in many teams, other teams that they have already worked for and they are together and they have more games together."

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

"I have my doubts, but we'll have to wait and see what happens."

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

Researchers are also conducting microbiological analyses to understand what happens to bacteria inside periodontal pockets during treatment.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

The human gave me food and I ate it, and whatever happens to me next is going to happen.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz