befall

American  

[bih-fawl] / bɪˈfɔl /

verb (used without object)

• befalls,
  present (3rd person singular)
• befell,
  past
• befallen,
  past participle
• befalling
  present participle

1. to happen or occur.

   Synonyms:

   chance, materialize, betide, ensue, bechance

2. Archaic. to come, as by right.

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verb (used with object)

• befalls,
  present (3rd person singular)
• befell,
  past
• befallen,
  past participle
• befalling
  present participle

1. to happen to, especially by chance or fate.

befall British  

/ bɪˈfɔːl /

verb

1. (intr) to take place; come to pass

2. (tr) to happen to

3. to be due, as by right

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• befalling
  present
• befallen
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• befall
  simple
• befalls
  simple
• have befallen
  perfect
• has befallen
  perfect
• am befalling
  progressive
• are befalling
  progressive
• is befalling
  progressive
• have been befalling
  perfect progressive
• has been befalling
  perfect progressive

Past

• befell
  simple
• had befallen
  perfect
• was befalling
  progressive
• were befalling
  progressive
• had been befalling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will befall
  simple
• will have befallen
  perfect
• will be befalling
  progressive
• will have been befalling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of befall

before 900; Middle English befallen, Old English befeallan. See be-, fall (v.)

Explanation

Befall is an old-fashioned or literary way of saying something happened by chance. Bad luck befalls a heroine who drops her lucky rabbit foot. When something befalls you, it’s like bad luck falling on you. An earthquake can befall a city. A terrible disease could befall a child. A bolt of lightning could befall a very unlucky person. When something befalls you, you’re in trouble. Tragedies befall families in many of Shakespeare’s plays — that’s what makes them so much fun.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

befall befalls befell befallen befalling

"We wake up wondering what new disaster is going to befall Auroville," its French-language magazine declared in December.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

It is also another sign of what is surely England and Tuchel's biggest fear – how can they cope should misfortune befall all-time record goalscorer Kane?

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

A different sort of disaster may befall Mr. Starmer and Labour in London.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

How has she dealt with the fallow periods that befall every actor?

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025

Or the Ninety-first Psalm: “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

Carthage’s deeper tragedy lies in the subsequent erasure of its history, language and culture, not in its physical destruction, which befalls all empires.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026

Here, though, it’s justified because what befalls Ron could happen to anyone, and rooting surreal situations in relatability sparks Robinson’s comedy.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2025

“All human life is sacred, so it’s not proper to laugh when serious harm befalls someone,” wrote one Bluesky user.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024

A magnetic field around any of these structures would form a continuous tangent vector field, and at this point we know what befalls such hairy constructions.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 18, 2023

"Take my betrothed back to the castle, and see that no harm befalls her," the prince told him brusquely.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

No other harm befell him or my little brother.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

A similar fate befell What's Wrong With Me – a duet with her musical hero, The Cure's Robert Smith.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

As we near the end we get to a full account of the game itself, enlivened by quotes the players gave after the fact, and followed by chronicles of what befell the participants after 1933.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Because, for veterans of modern warfare, the question isn’t how to come to grips with something that befell us in the manner of a natural disaster.

From Slate ● Mar. 16, 2026

“I’m not sure whether they will be up to the challenge, considering the extent of the damage, but they have worked miracles in the past. I’m sorry this calamity befell us during your stay.”

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

Rodríguez, who could use the crisis to strengthen her hold on power, has highlighted the successes of the response while acknowledging the grave catastrophe that had befallen her country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

The same fate could’ve easily befallen this movie, too.

From Salon ● May 1, 2026

A spate of fires and disasters has befallen the city's historic architecture over the years, raising questions about whether these are freak accidents or a symptom of wider issues.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

"This is a devastating tragedy that has befallen the Reiner family," he said.

From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025

But later that day, at one o’clock in the afternoon, a clerk at Petersen’s—it was Jessica Porter—told Hatsue about the terrible accident that had befallen Carl Heine while he fished the preceding evening.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

It doesn’t help that a rainstorm of biblical proportions is befalling Chicago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

If we speak about 1929 perhaps we believe we will avoid a similar fate befalling us.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2025

The precedents I have in mind rose and fell on elements of “human nature” that also drive what’s befalling us now.

From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2025

That defeat would have paled when set beside the one that looked like befalling Scotland now.

From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2024

“Do not speak of ill befalling you,” Taran cried.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

Related Words

• ensue
• materialize
• transpire