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

Whatever happens in court, Walker’s case will tell a powerful story about the experience of pregnancy in America—and ask both courts and voters if anyone should be held to account.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

What happens next will surprise everyone, including readers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

One such risk is what happens if the big bets being made on AI don't pay off.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Similar to what happens in the human brain, miBrains carrying APOE4 developed higher amounts of abnormal alpha-synuclein.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

I still don’t know what happens when my time is up.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse