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

“Our saying is what happens at the camp stays at camp,” said moderator Lou Knaub, a bank district manager from New Jersey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Study co-author Professor James Murphy said the discovery revealed a 'smoldering' molecular problem and encouraged the researchers to focus more closely on what happens at the beginning of the disease process.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

"It's only a matter of time until something serious happens," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

If the new garbage happens to be more ethical and sustainable than the old garbage, he can live with that.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

But that always happens in the beginning of learning new material.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold