happened

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:

happened

“I’m heartbroken over what happened in America yesterday,” Rodrigo said onstage then.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

"When the fire broke out, everything happened within minutes," the nurse said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

So far, there hasn’t been any evidence that has happened.

From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026

Let's stop crying about what happened in the past.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

“Oh, a lot happened, a whole lifetime of happenings. But I think I shall keep it short. I am suddenly rather tired. And you must be too. Well, here is how the story ends…”

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo