befall

[bih-fawl]

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.

verb (used with object)

befell, befallen, befalling. 

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

befall

/ bɪˈfɔːl /

verb

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

2. (tr) to happen to

3. to be due, as by right

Word History and Origins

Origin of befall¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of befall¹

Old English befeallan ; related to Old High German bifallan , Dutch bevallen ; see _be- , _fall

Example Sentences

For more proof of our necessity, look at the disasters that befall any community that deigns to cut out its queer eye.

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The research is used in part to inform highway planners and conservation organizations on how to prevent vehicular deaths like the one that befell F390.

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All the plans, in their own very different ways, hope to salvage something out of the calamity that has befallen Gaza over the past two years.

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Despite efforts to retain much of its historic character, the 14-year project proved controversial with one architectural expert branding the demolition "the greatest architectural crime to befall London in the 20th Century".

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Of course, the Epstein case itself is no longer “real,” but a plot device to keep viewers tuning in to see what befalls the protagonist, in the manner of someone being voted off the island.

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Related Words

• ensue 
• materialize 
• transpire