befall

American  

[bih-fawl] / bɪˈfɔl /

verb (used without object)

befell, befallen, befalling

1. to happen or occur.

   Synonyms:

   chance, materialize, betide, ensue, bechance

2. Archaic. to come, as by right.

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verb (used with object)

befell, befallen, befalling

1. to happen to, especially by chance or fate.

befall British  

/ bɪˈfɔːl /

verb

1. (intr) to take place; come to pass

2. (tr) to happen to

3. to be due, as by right

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Etymology

Origin of befall

before 900; Middle English befallen, Old English befeallan. See be-, fall (v.)

Example Sentences

Better to know beforehand what I will pay and what I will get and avoid the disaster that befell my friends.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Such a sad time for you,” he said with false sympathy, “but it seems that good fortune has befallen you in other ways.”

From Literature

She will be desperate to avoid the disaster that befell hot men's favourite Ilia Malinin, who suffered a nightmare last week, slumping to an eighth-place finish.

From Barron's

So short track is caught in the situation which befalls many Olympic sports in Britain - they need to perform at the Games to get more funding, but without the funding they struggle to achieve success.

From BBC

Carthage’s deeper tragedy lies in the subsequent erasure of its history, language and culture, not in its physical destruction, which befalls all empires.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ensue
• materialize
• transpire