befall
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:
"We wake up wondering what new disaster is going to befall Auroville," its French-language magazine declared in December.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
But woe befall any bad guys who mistake him for a fool.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
A different sort of disaster may befall Mr. Starmer and Labour in London.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
That worry is the massive drop-off in proven quality at international level should any misfortune befall England captain and record goalscorer Harry Kane.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
Yet what harm could befall them at Swanburne?
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
![]()
Money is a form of the “resource curse” that befalls many producers of oil and other vital commodities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
“All human life is sacred, so it’s not proper to laugh when serious harm befalls someone,” wrote one Bluesky user.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024
A magnetic field around any of these structures would form a continuous tangent vector field, and at this point we know what befalls such hairy constructions.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 18, 2023
But then we eventually see that his friends of 25 years never got to know him either, which makes everything that befalls him land with bitterness as opposed to melancholy.
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2023
"Take my betrothed back to the castle, and see that no harm befalls her," the prince told him brusquely.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
![]()
There are allusions to the tragedies that befell him: the loss of a young daughter to measles encephalitis and his son’s near-fatal accident.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
This vast array of media professionals came no closer to uncovering what awful fate befell this poor 84-year-old woman.
From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026
She will be desperate to avoid the disaster that befell hot men's favourite Ilia Malinin, who suffered a nightmare last week, slumping to an eighth-place finish.
From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026
The issue also befell the German team who won bronze in the biathlon.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026
“And”—Benefo raises his voice—“I, for some reason, decided to marry Osei. Alas, tragedy befell me.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
![]()
The same fate could’ve easily befallen this movie, too.
From Salon ● May 1, 2026
A spate of fires and disasters has befallen the city's historic architecture over the years, raising questions about whether these are freak accidents or a symptom of wider issues.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
“This is a devastating tragedy that has befallen the Reiner family. We all recognize that and our hearts go out to the entire Reiner family,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
"This is a devastating tragedy that has befallen the Reiner family," he said.
From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025
The week after Hickey’s hanging, Becky suffered a mild attack of the ague that had befallen so many soldiers.
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
![]()
She imagined something terrible befalling her, and her parents discovering her mounting credit-card bills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
If we speak about 1929 perhaps we believe we will avoid a similar fate befalling us.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2025
The idea of anything untoward befalling Kane is unthinkable because, for all Watkins' energy and what Ivan Toney may yet bring against Belgium, England's on-field leader is irreplaceable.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2024
The film lost its funding, with bad luck and accidents befalling the people who worked on it for years afterward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2023
It's possible she actually prevented another tragedy from befalling our family.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
![]()
Vocabulary lists containing befall
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
ACT Vocabulary List
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!