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definitions

happening

[ hap-uh-ning ]
/ ˈhæp ə nɪŋ /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR happening ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

something that happens; occurrence; event.
an unconventional dramatic or artistically orchestrated performance, often a series of discontinuous events involving audience participation.
any event considered worthwhile, unusual, or interesting.

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RELATED WORDS

accident, proceeding, phenomenon, circumstance, incident, adventure, milestone, case, affair, episode, scene, experience, thing, chance, go, occasion, event

Nearby words

  1. happen,
  2. happen by,
  3. happen on,
  4. happen-so,
  5. happenchance,
  6. happenstance,
  7. happi coat,
  8. happify,
  9. happily,
  10. happiness

Origin of happening

1545–55; 1965–70 for def 2; happen + -ing1

Definition for happening (2 of 2)

happen

[ hap-uhn ]
/ ˈhæp ən /

verb (used without object)

Origin of happen

First recorded in 1300–50, happen is from the Middle English word hap(pe)nen. See hap1, -en1
SYNONYMS FOR happen
1 betide. 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.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR happen ON THESAURUS.COM
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for happening

British Dictionary definitions for happening (1 of 2)

happening

/ (ˈhæpənɪŋ, ˈhæpnɪŋ) /

noun

an occurrence; event
an improvised or spontaneous display or performance consisting of bizarre and haphazard events

adjective

informal fashionable and up-to-the-minute

British Dictionary definitions for happening (2 of 2)

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, thatit happens that I know him

adverb, sentence substitute

Northern English dialect
  1. another word for perhaps
  2. (as sentence modifier)happen I'll see thee tomorrow

Word Origin for happen

C14: see hap 1, -en 1

xref

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