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:
From the second I heard about “asynchronous” studies, I thought of the word’s negative connotations: not happening or existing simultaneously, out of sync, allochronic, unsynchronized.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Now it seemed like it might be happening again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
"This is a time when we really need to hear what's happening," Erik Slavin said, adding that Pentagon officials appeared to be "less and less inclined to speak on the record".
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Patrick: I see two things happening at once.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
I knew that Rich was trying not to eat as much so his pants wouldn’t tear on him, but it was happening anyway.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
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
Cypress Hill and the London Symphony Orchestra, Yorgos Lanthimos’ photography exhibition, Nicholas Pilapil’s new play and more arts headlines and happenings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
This collection of notable happenings, updated every week, will keep you up appraised of ways to join the celebrations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
With spacetime, it's applied uncritically to a mathematical description of happenings -- turning a model into an ontological theory on the nature of being.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2025
Again I met the Irish chap and we discussed world happenings, the vast armies of unemployed, the rising tide of radical action.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
