happen

[hap-uhn] / ˈhæp ən /

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.

Under the terms of my contract, two things will happen:

From Salon • Jun. 1, 2026

“I refuse to let that happen in New Jersey,” she said in her best zero-tolerance voice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

The devastated father's voice broke as he finished speaking, he said: "To my dying son, who I love beyond words, I'm so sorry that I let this happen."

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

Investors are seeing this happen in the South Korea with Samsung and SK Hynix versus the rest of the market.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026

Did it happen because I’d asked for it to happen, because I went into his office day after day and asked for new vocabulary and said that I wanted to learn more, do better?

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

happen

Example Sentences

Related Words