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.

"I felt helpless — sad and also angry about the system that is allowing that to happen," he said quietly.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

About 40,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes, with officials warning they weren’t sure what could happen.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

"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

There are two options with what will happen to the tank, Covey said, which started experiencing a rise in temperatures Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

Did it happen because I’d asked for it to happen, because I went into his office day after day and asked for new vocabulary and said that I wanted to learn more, do better?

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

happen

Example Sentences

Related Words