happen
verb (used without object)
to take place; come to pass; occur.
happened
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past participleof happen.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof happen.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
happenverb (used without object)to take place; come to pass; occur.
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.
Rather than the story dying out, a funny thing happened.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
“What happened to the 170,000? You just got those wrong?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Miller said he "never had any social media campaign" planned and it "happened the most organic way possible".
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
"She was crying a lot, but we didn't know what had happened" at that point, the person told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
But the innkeeper managed to calm everybody down, and he decided to conclude the ceremony immediately, before something worse happened.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
