happening

American  

[hap-uh-ning] / ˈhæp ə nɪŋ /

noun

1. something that happens; occurrence; event.

   Synonyms:

   case, affair, instance, episode, incident

2. an unconventional dramatic or artistically orchestrated performance, often a series of discontinuous events involving audience participation.

3. any event considered worthwhile, unusual, or interesting.

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happening British  

/ ˈhæpənɪŋ, ˈhæpnɪŋ /

noun

1. an occurrence; event

2. an improvised or spontaneous display or performance consisting of bizarre and haphazard events

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adjective

1. informal fashionable and up-to-the-minute

Etymology

Origin of happening

First recorded in 1545–55; 1965–70 happening for def. 2; happen + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

And that’s basically what has been happening over the past few weeks, he said.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026

“I’ve never heard of that happening before,” said former federal prosecutor Rick Mountcastle, speaking generally about DOJ protocols.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026

“SpaceX is happening on Friday, but we may be getting OpenAI and Anthropic later in the year,” Sam Taube, NerdWallet’s lead investing writer, said in an interview.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

“We are working to identify the cause and strengthen safeguards to prevent this from happening again.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

“Edda,” I introduced myself, wondering somehow if this was all really happening, or whether exhaustion from my travels was causing an elaborate hallucination.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

• accident
• adventure
• circumstance
• incident
• milestone
• phenomenon
• proceeding