happen

[ hap-uhn ]

See synonyms for: happen happened happening happens on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to take place; come to pass; occur: Something interesting is always happening in New York.
to come to pass by chance; occur without apparent reason or design: Don't ask me what caused it—it just happened, that's all.

to have the fortune or lot (to do or be as specified); chance: I happened to see him on the street.
to befall, as to a person or thing: Something dreadful has happened to me.
to meet or discover by chance (usually followed by on or upon): to happen on a clue to a mystery.
to be, come, go, etc., casually or by chance: My friend happened along.
Slang. to be very exciting or interesting: That party was happening!

Origin of happen

First recorded in 1300–50, happen is from the Middle English word hap(pe)nen. See hap¹, -en¹

synonym study For happen

1. Happen, chance, occur refer to the taking place of an event. Happen, which originally denoted the taking place by hap or chance, is now the most general word for coming to pass: Something has happened. Chance suggests the accidental nature of an event: It chanced to rain that day. Occur is often interchangeable with happen, but is more formal, and is usually more specific as to time and event: His death occurred the following year.

Other words for happen

betide

See synonyms for happen on Thesaurus.com

Words Nearby happen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use happen in a sentence

That along with what happens between Jokić and Anthony Davis.
Bam Adebayo Is Making Plays, Denver Is Making Us Look Bad, And The Lakers May Need To Make Some Adjustments | Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com) | September 17, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
The league is studying what’s happening in the bubble just as much as those outside of it are, and that includes looking at the replay system.
Don’t Blame The Refs For All Of These Replay Reviews | Jared Dubin | September 17, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
If that happened, it would put even more political pressure on Democrats by making Republicans look like they’re the ones taking action.
Why House Democrats have good reason to be anxious about no coronavirus relief deal | Amber Phillips | September 17, 2020 | Washington Post
So we’re gonna see what happens, but we did shut it down, yes.
Timeline: The 124 times Trump has downplayed the coronavirus threat | Aaron Blake, JM Rieger | September 17, 2020 | Washington Post
Because most of the newly occurring deaths are happening in red states.
Trump blames blue states for the coronavirus death toll — but most recent deaths have been in red states | Philip Bump | September 16, 2020 | Washington Post

“Please, please do not permit this to happen here in Florida,” wrote Cris K. Smith of East Polk County.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails | Jackie Kucinich | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
They now know that bad things can, and do, happen to those they love.
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means | Katie Baker | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The possibility that the same outcome could happen another way -- namely a guy asks me out -- keeps me from taking action.
Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating | Ellie Schaack | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
How does it happen that citizens of modest means suffer as public sector unions gain?
How Public Sector Unions Divide the Democrats | Daniel DiSalvo | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The unspoken question from his son and the thousands of other kids was, “Could it happen to you?”
Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos | Michael Daly | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
That it is a reasonable and proper thing to ask our statesmen and politicians: what is going to happen to the world?
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Greater mischiefs happen often from folly, meanness, and vanity than from the greater sins of avarice and ambition.
Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. Ballou
Such things happen to all flesh, from man even to beast, and upon sinners are sevenfold more.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
At first startled, her second thought was that this would be the best possible thing which could happen.
Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
Suddenly she stopped laughing, and said in a low voice, "You don't happen to have a beefsteak about you, do you?"
Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. Carryl

British Dictionary definitions for happen

happen

/ (ˈhæpən) /

verb

(intr) (of an event in time) to come about or take place; occur
(intr foll by to) (of some unforeseen circumstance or event, esp death), to fall to the lot (of); be a source of good or bad fortune (to): if anything happens to me, it'll be your fault

(tr) to chance (to be or do something): I happen to know him
(tr; takes a clause as object) to be the case, esp if by chance, that: it happens that I know him

adverb, sentence substitute

Northern English dialect
- another word for perhaps
- (as sentence modifier): happen I'll see thee tomorrow

Origin of happen

C14: see hap 1, -en 1

happen

See occur

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

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