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

Also worth watching: What happens when MarketWatch’s Christine Ji puts a $55,000 humanoid robot to work cleaning her home.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

They don't care about what happens to them later in life.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

It is about what happens when corporate power no longer values a news organization’s independence as a principle to be defended.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

It has become a powerful research tool because scientists can use it to switch specific groups of nerve cells on and off and see what happens.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

It is possible to paddle gently up to many wild animals and they simply stand and watch—this same thing happens often with dog teams.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

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