happen
Americanverb (used without object)
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happens,
present (3rd person singular)
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happened,
past participle, past
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happening
present participle
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to take place; come to pass; occur.
Something interesting is always happening in New York.
- Synonyms:
- betide
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to come to pass by chance; occur without apparent reason or design.
Don't ask me what caused it—it just happened, that's all.
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to have the fortune or lot (to do or be as specified); chance.
I happened to see him on the street.
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to befall, as to a person or thing.
Something dreadful has happened to me.
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to meet or discover by chance (usually followed by on orupon ).
to happen on a clue to a mystery.
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to be, come, go, etc., casually or by chance.
My friend happened along.
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Slang. to be very exciting or interesting.
That party was happening!
verb
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(intr) (of an event in time) to come about or take place; occur
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(of some unforeseen circumstance or event, esp death), to fall to the lot (of); be a source of good or bad fortune (to)
if anything happens to me, it'll be your fault
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(tr) to chance (to be or do something)
I happen to know him
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(tr; takes a clause as object) to be the case, esp if by chance, that
it happens that I know him
adverb
Usage
What is a basic definition of happen? Happen means to occur, to come to pass by chance, or to befall someone or something. Happen has several other senses as a verb. Happen is a very general word that simply means to occur or take place. For example, the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln happened on April 15, 1865. That date is when this event took place.
- Real-life examples: Halloween happens on October 31. Scientists run experiments to see what happens. Nobody knows what will happen in the future. History is a record of what happened in the past.
- Used in a sentence: The police blocked off the street where the car accident happened.
- Used in a sentence: Joe happened to be standing in the exact spot where the water balloon landed.
- Used in a sentence: Sherri was terrified that something horrible had happened to her kitten.
- Used in a sentence: Summer is usually busy with happenings like beach parties. Summertime is happening!
Synonym Usage
Happen, chance, occur refer to the taking place of an event. Happen, which originally denoted the taking place by hap or chance, is now the most general word for coming to pass: Something has happened. Chance suggests the accidental nature of an event: It chanced to rain that day. Occur is often interchangeable with happen, but is more formal, and is usually more specific as to time and event: His death occurred the following year.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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happensimple
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happenssimple
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have happenedperfect
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has happenedperfect
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am happeningprogressive
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are happeningprogressive
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is happeningprogressive
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have been happeningperfect progressive
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has been happeningperfect progressive
Past
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happenedsimple
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had happenedperfect
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was happeningprogressive
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were happeningprogressive
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had been happeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of happen
First recorded in 1300–50, happen is from the Middle English word hap(pe)nen. See hap 1, -en 1
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:
Certain things have to happen in “House of the Dragon” for it to align with “Game of Thrones,” including the end of the age of dragons, which means Rhaenyra must fail, big time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
"We are in talks, but there is currently no agreement. If something were to happen, it would always be based on the great respect we have for Bayern."
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The higher estimate for 2026, the study notes, reflects concerns about inflation, longer life expectancies and uncertainty surrounding what will happen with Social Security’s funding in 2032.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Those conversations no longer happen under Murrill, the attorneys said.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
I’m not sure what’s supposed to happen next.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
But trauma triggers can be an issue when conception happens outside a clinic, in the context of a loving relationship—and they can be scary to deal with.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves directly between Earth and the Sun, covering the Sun and casting a narrow region of Earth into darkness.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
The intro gets blasted at sporting events to raise energy or when something good happens, and it never fails to rally a crowd.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
"If stocks are down, if the winter is rough and some other problem happens, we'll have to start thinking about conservation measures," she warned, as was the case across Europe in 2022.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
"Well, I will tell you what happens," Mr. Weiss went on.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
And what if the worst happened, and the U.S. government actually ended up imposing any official “haircut” on Treasury bonds, paying out less than 100 cents on the dollar even in nominal terms?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
And that might have happened, if the Sex Pistols had booked their first U.S. tour through the kinds of major, music-friendly cities that most bands visit.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
The person then reportedly "panicked and left the premises" after realising what had happened, according to the Ofcom statement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
She said she also took comfort from knowing that her sister cannot remember everything that happened to them.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
“What happened after that? To Marlene, to all of you? Did you find her in the end? And Papi, did Papi come home?”
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
I think you also have, as this is all happening, a kind of professionalization of the Supreme Court.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
"I think everyone thought I was quite deluded. I had a vision of this happening, but I didn't quite know how we were going to achieve it," says Meadows.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
“It’s like going into shock, but a good kind of shock. ‘This is happening — it’s really happening.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
For many, these cameras are the only way of knowing what’s happening as affected neighborhoods and streets are cordoned off by authorities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
I don’t want to, but, as I see more of what is happening out there, the tiny spark of hope that we will see you again grows dimmer.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
