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

And when that happens, it’s an opportunity Liquid AI is looking to capitalize on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

"On what happens next... obviously a custodial sentence of some length will result."

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

There’s just a lot of eye rolling that happens if the conversation ever comes up, and apologies do come up as well.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

I’m happy to buy whichever brand happens to be available or on sale.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

“Exactly! Thank you for understanding. I’ve never had a crush. What happens now?”

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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