happen

[hap-uhn]

See more synonyms for happen on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to take place; come to pass; occur: Something interesting is always happening in New York.
to come to pass by chance; occur without apparent reason or design: Don't ask me what caused it—it just happened, that's all.
to have the fortune or lot (to do or be as specified); chance: I happened to see him on the street.

to befall, as to a person or thing: Something dreadful has happened to me.
to meet or discover by chance (usually followed by on or upon): to happen on a clue to a mystery.
to be, come, go, etc., casually or by chance: My friend happened along.
Slang. to be very exciting or interesting: That party was happening!

Origin of happen

First recorded in 1300–50, happen is from the Middle English word hap(pe)nen. See hap¹, -en¹

Synonyms for happen

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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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for happens

hit, materialize, develop, appear, transpire, arise, fall, result, pass, meet, arrive, supervene, proceed, recur, bump, light, shake, befall, spring, ensue

Examples from the Web for happens

Contemporary Examples of happens

So, what happens if nothing in his training has replicated such a dire condition?
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?
Clive Irving
January 4, 2015
But this is also what happens sometimes to actresses (and journalists) when someone hits it big.
Brie Larson’s Hollywood Transformation
Marlow Stern
December 29, 2014
“It happens very often that the form smothers the content,” he says.
Christoph Waltz on Bond, Burton, and Channeling His Inner Darkness
Marlow Stern
December 25, 2014
Just ask Darren Sharper what happens if your sporting career suddenly falters.
Jameis Winston Cleared of Rape Like Every Other College Sports Star
Robert Silverman
December 22, 2014
It happens, of course, but the less time a person is sick, the better their chances of recovery.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder
Carrie Arnold
December 20, 2014

Historical Examples of happens

But did you ever stop to think what happens when you write a letter?
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon
They were smuggled, mind you, and no matter what happens, he can't squeal.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Lucky the cayuse who happens to be the right size for his harness.
A Woman Tenderfoot
Grace Gallatin Seton-Thompson
If he happens to appear in the office, I have to associate with him; but, thank Heaven!
American Notes
Rudyard Kipling
I am with him because it happens from particular circumstances to suit my convenience.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for happens

happen

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

Word Origin and History for happens

happen

c.1300, "to come to pass, occur," originally "occur by hap, to have the (good or bad) fortune (to do, be, etc.);" see hap (n.). Replaced Old English gelimpan, gesceon, and Middle English befall. In Middle English fel it hap meant "it happened." Related: Happened; happening.