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.

"It’s something that I didn’t think, I didn’t think that could happen, especially at my age," the headliner of this year's arts and literary festival said.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

Alibaba can’t afford to let that happen uncontested.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

But in a region dotted with chemical facilities, refineries and other heavy industries, accidents do happen.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

“This is going to happen unless some guy behind me here figures out how we can mitigate this incident. This thing is going to fail. We don’t know when.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

“I thought nothing interesting was ever going to happen, and then this happened.”

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

happen

Example Sentences

Related Words