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:
The Labour councillor said "no-one actually knew" what was happening on Saturday morning and there "needs to be a wash-up over that".
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Seemingly every resident was aware the game was happening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
But this year’s complaints recall another era of New York society, when the best seats at the opera were as much about being seen in the box as seeing what was happening onstage.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
Consumers hoping for easing prices are stuck waiting for the memory shortage to ease, something Ubrani doesn’t see happening until at least 2028.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
I found myself hesitating outside my own window, suddenly wanting nothing more than to crawl back into my tiny room and pretend none of this was happening.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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
David Lindsay-Abaire sets his comic sights on the contentious happenings within a wealthy suburb’s neighborhood association in a new play directed by Kenny Leon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 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
When the sun vanishes early and the chill of darkness comes on deep and fast, there has always been an instinct to gather around a source of warmth and illumination for tales of fearsome happenings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
Meanwhile, from my bedroom window, I could observe most of the real-world happenings on our block of Euclid Avenue.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
