Showing results for "happening"

• present participle of happen.

happening

American  

[hap-uh-ning] / ˈhæp ə nɪŋ /

noun

• happenings
  plural

1. something that happens; occurrence; event.

   Synonyms:

   case, affair, instance, episode, incident

2. an unconventional dramatic or artistically orchestrated performance, often a series of discontinuous events involving audience participation.

3. any event considered worthwhile, unusual, or interesting.

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happening British  

/ ˈhæpənɪŋ, ˈhæpnɪŋ /

noun

1. an occurrence; event

2. an improvised or spontaneous display or performance consisting of bizarre and haphazard events

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adjective

1. informal fashionable and up-to-the-minute

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• happenings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of happening

First recorded in 1545–55; 1965–70 happening for def. 2; happen + -ing ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

happening happenings

Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Bart van den Brink, who is also minister of asylum and migration, said it was "highly disturbing" to see this happening in Dutch waters.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Lying there, watching a movie with the fan running while drinking tea, Vlasenko could almost forget what was happening around him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

While November offers plenty to observe in Earth's skies, something equally remarkable is happening far beyond the planets.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026

“I see the mergers that are happening and all the AI stuff sucks. I don’t like it,” Carrasco said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

I’m not sure what’s happening, but I know enough to feel embarrassed.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

But rest assured, we’ll be back in your inbox with more wild happenings on Monday.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

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

They’re all free “drop-in” happenings, with no registration required.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

In those days, adults in the black community didn’t talk to their children about painful happenings.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

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Related Words

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