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

Inference is what happens when a trained AI model answers a question or works through a task.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Whatever happens, the lawsuit will still tell a powerful story.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

“I think there was a cultural shift and there was a conversation that needed to be had, about what happens on the island. And what that means to those of us who are not there.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

"The biggest myth about grief is that it happens in neat, orderly stages and that you eventually get over it," said Dawson.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Yes, it breaks my heart into a million pieces to say this, but I know it happens.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

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