befall

[ bih-fawl ]

/ bɪˈfɔl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR befall ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), be·fell, be·fall·en, be·fall·ing.

to happen or occur.

Archaic. to come, as by right.

verb (used with object), be·fell, be·fall·en, be·fall·ing.

to happen to, especially by chance or fate.

Words nearby befall

beeville, beevor's sign, beezer, bef, bef., befall, befit, befitting, beflag, beflowered, befog

Origin of befall

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

SYNONYMS FOR befall

1 bechance, ensue, betide, materialize, chance.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR befall ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for befell

The pair of films that would follow—Se7en and The Game—avoided many of the pitfalls that befell Aliens3.
David Fincher’s Backseat Feminism|Teo Bugbee|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You could barely be seen, like the fate that befell Brooks Wheelan back in September.
How Did Sasheer Zamata Do in Her Saturday Night Live Debut?|Kevin Fallon|January 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was the scapegoat for every economic failure that befell the Palestinian people.
Why Palestinians Welcomed Fayyad’s Resignation|Maysoon Zayid|April 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She says she regularly thinks of the tragic fate that befell many of those who have come before her.
‘R&B Divas’: The TV Show That Resurrects a Genre|Allison Samuels|August 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The whole episode sounds eerily similar to that which befell his Bully co-star, the late Brad Renfro.
The John Connor Curse: Nick Stahl, Edward Furlong and Christian Bale|Marlow Stern|May 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
All this John saw distinctly, and afterwards recalled it all in order, as it befell.
Fort Amity|Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
And in April befell the battle of Culloden and far-resounding ruin.
Foes|Mary Johnston
And one night it befell that he was rewarded, for the raiders attempted an entrance.
The Gentleman From Indiana|Booth Tarkington
It befell also that another wonder was worked, by no means inferior to the last.
The Hermits|Charles Kingsley
The house was changed into a house of sorrow; but worse than that befell.
The Golden Maiden|A. G. Seklemian

British Dictionary definitions for befell

befall

/ (bɪˈfɔːl) /

verb -falls, -falling, -fell or -fallen archaic, or literary

(intr) to take place; come to pass

(tr) to happen to

(intr usually foll by to) to be due, as by right

Word Origin for befall

Old English befeallan; related to Old High German bifallan, Dutch bevallen; see be-, fall

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

befall

verb (used without object), be·fell, be·fall·en, be·fall·ing.

verb (used with object), be·fell, be·fall·en, be·fall·ing.

Words related to befall

Words nearby befall

Origin of befall

SYNONYMS FOR befall

Examples from the Web for befell

British Dictionary definitions for befell

verb -falls, -falling, -fell or -fallen archaic, or literary

Word Origin for befall