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

Even though mathematicians had suspected this almost never happens for typical problems, they had never fully proven it—until Urschel did.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

"In my experience, that happens more often than mothers dying," Garfield said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

"Germany stands firmly by Israel's side. Our Israeli friends can count on our commitment to ensuring that such a crime never happens again," Merz said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Your plan is only as good as the last time someone updated it, and a lot happens over 25 years.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

“The whole point is to get through whatever he throws at you without preparation. If I told you what happens, it wouldn’t be fair. You’d only be cheating yourself.”

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy