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

It happens because AIs learn to maximize a reward—usually some form of numeric score, not the underlying behavior programmers intend.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Comwel did not say how many of these cases were also investigated for the role of overwork, which only happens if the family asks for it in their claim.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

What happens if you decide to move house?

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Yampolskiy worries that the next time this happens — which it will — the consequences could be more dire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

It happens now, when he looks up to find that, once again, I can’t stop myself from staring at him, and he suddenly glances down at the hose in his hand.

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