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.
Jonathan can be telling you a funny story about something that happened in the 1970s, but when they call “Action,” he suddenly drops himself into the place of a man who’s slowly losing his mind.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The last time this happened was more than a decade ago, when Louis Vuitton’s sales were sluggish because consumers had grown tired of logoed designs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
All of this happened before this latest war against Hamas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Five of those happened in a six-year spell from 2005 until 2010.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Things happened just like I said, didn’t they?”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
