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 Bahrain Grand Prix Formula One race is still happening this October, but thousands of miles away in Malaysia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Each contract ranges in price between $0.01 to $0.99, representing what the collective market thinks of the likelihood of an event happening.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
"They never bothered to tell us that that's what's happening," he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
It’s going to be a precursor to what I hope is going to be happening during the Olympics, and to show that we can do it at scale,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
If everything happening was a puzzle piece, they were slowly clicking into place.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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
The news outlet recorded the coastal community’s quotidian happenings for generations, documenting births, marriages, deaths, soccer games, high school graduations, Fourth of July parades, the Mr. and Miss Palisades contest and more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2026
There are always untenable events, freak happenings like someone recognizing you, or at worst, the trouble results from a foolish and negligent spy, like my time with Luzan.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
