Showing Results for "happening"

See Also:

• present participle of happen.

happening

American  

[hap-uh-ning] / ˈhæp ə nɪŋ /

noun

happenings plural

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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• happenings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of happening

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

Example Sentences

A recent blog post by US entrepreneur Matt Shumer titled "Something Big Is Happening" includes a prediction that AI will be tackling jobs in law, finance, accounting, consulting, medicine and other fields.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

Happening at Hart High is a sports anomaly for the record books.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2024

"Happening during the day, it's really concerning and not pleasant. You just think, what's happening with people?"

From BBC • Aug. 21, 2024

Her work has also appeared in Vulture, Vanity Fair, Vice and many other outlets that don't start with the letter V. She is the author of one sad book called "Something Is Always Happening Somewhere."

From Salon • Jul. 2, 2023

Then he faced the group, cleared his throat and in a phony voice he said, “‘What’s Happening in Egypt’—a very official report by Tobias Alvillar, Secret Agent.”

From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Related Words

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