happen by

British

verb

informal (intr, adverb) to appear, arrive, or come casually or by chance

"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

Example Sentences

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happen by

Making beef affordable again will only happen by rebuilding the domestic U.S. ranching base.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

That depth — and the way it’s been flattened abroad — didn’t happen by accident.

From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026

It could be years before changes are implemented, with government sources saying only that it will happen by the end of the next parliament, around 2034.

From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026

These moments of return do not happen by chance.

From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2025

As you no doubt guessed, I didn't happen by tonight just by accident.

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