- present participle of happen.
happening
Americannoun
-
happenings
plural
noun
-
an occurrence; event
-
an improvised or spontaneous display or performance consisting of bizarre and haphazard events
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of happening
First recorded in 1545–55; 1965–70 happening for def. 2; happen + -ing 1
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.
See Examples For:
“I don’t know if I don’t want that to keep happening or I do want it to keep happening.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
This is hardly the behavior of an institution that thinks it’s committing a crime, or a supervisor that thinks fraud is happening under its nose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
“We need to keep an eye on sentiment and the other dynamics that are happening there, but we’re not anticipating a lot of shift in behavior.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
"Terrible things are happening, but it's far out at sea," said Todorin Ibovski, 66, a surgeon picking apples and figs with his wife.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
But now the worst possible thing is happening and I’m alone.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
What makes “Recession” so vivid, and so unsettling, is that Mr. Goodspeed rarely finds recessions caused by a single one of these shocks, but by a series of adverse happenings over a short period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
The litigation unveiled the private happenings of Hollywood elite, including texts and emails from Lively, Baldoni and their host of A-list friends.
From BBC ● May 4, 2026
The news outlet recorded the coastal community’s quotidian happenings for generations, documenting births, marriages, deaths, soccer games, high school graduations, Fourth of July parades, the Mr. and Miss Palisades contest and more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2026
Army basic-training instructor, he became a trendsetter in California’s 1960s alternative culture, hanging out with Ken Kesey, designing multimedia happenings and, in 1968, launching the Whole Earth Catalog.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
They spoke of many things, old and new, and Frodo questioned Gildor much about happenings in the wide world outside the Shire.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
