befall
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to happen or occur.
- Synonyms:
- chance, materialize, betide, ensue, bechance
-
Archaic. to come, as by right.
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(intr) to take place; come to pass
-
(tr) to happen to
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to be due, as by right
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
befallsimple
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befallssimple
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have befallenperfect
-
has befallenperfect
-
are befallingprogressive
-
am befallingprogressive
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is befallingprogressive
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have been befallingperfect progressive
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has been befallingperfect progressive
Past
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befellsimple
-
had befallenperfect
-
was befallingprogressive
-
were befallingprogressive
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had been befallingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of befall
before 900; Middle English befallen, Old English befeallan. See be-, fall (v.)
Explanation
Befall is an old-fashioned or literary way of saying something happened by chance. Bad luck befalls a heroine who drops her lucky rabbit foot. When something befalls you, it’s like bad luck falling on you. An earthquake can befall a city. A terrible disease could befall a child. A bolt of lightning could befall a very unlucky person. When something befalls you, you’re in trouble. Tragedies befall families in many of Shakespeare’s plays — that’s what makes them so much fun.
Vocabulary lists containing befall
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
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ACT Vocabulary List
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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.
A different sort of disaster may befall Mr. Starmer and Labour in London.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
With head-scratching lyrics like, “Why should a land have so much meaning when dark times befall it? It’s just a land made of dirt and rock,” they confuse far more than they entertain.
From Salon • Nov. 21, 2025
It’s not the first calamity to befall the family in the West Bank.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025
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".
From BBC • Sep. 16, 2025
Only the thought of the possible catastrophes that might befall such an expedition, and of sustaining damage to my travelling suit, persuaded me to content myself with sitting here on this bench.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
