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

Jonathan can be telling you a funny story about something that happened in the 1970s, but when they call “Action,” he suddenly drops himself into the place of a man who’s slowly losing his mind.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

The last time this happened was more than a decade ago, when Louis Vuitton’s sales were sluggish because consumers had grown tired of logoed designs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

"We are shocked by what happened," she told Ansa, describing it as "a great loss for the museum, for the city, the community and the art world".

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

I just happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right doctor and team.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Whatever had happened while she’d been gone had been good.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith