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

Over the past five years, "it's been on my mind, 'what happens in case of emergency?'"

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

As it happens, one of the scientists who proposed that seminal workshop was a Claude—the brilliant mathematician Claude Shannon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

If that happens, the offseason will grind to a halt, suspended indefinitely until the two sides sign a new agreement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

What happens between now and then will have major consequences for millions of Americans.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Then Mr. Weiss said, "These are the facts, Bartok. What do you think we should do? Wait and see what happens? Gamble that you'll get well in a month or six weeks? What?"

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word