happen Hear it!

happen Definition

hap·pen (hap′ən)

intransitive verb

  1. to take place; occur; befall
  2. to be or occur by chance or without plan it happened to rain
  3. to have the luck or occasion; chance I happened to see it
  4. to come by chance (along, by, in, etc.)

Etymology: ME happenen: see hap & -en

happen Idioms

happen on

or happen upon

to meet or find by chance

happen to

to be done to or be the fate of; befall

happen Synonyms

happen

v.

  1. To be by chance

    come up, come about, turn up, crop up, chance, stumble upon, light upon, occur unexpectedly, come face to face with, befall, hit one like a ton of bricks*, be one's luck*, fall to one's lot*, smack right up against*.

  2. To occur

    occur, take place, pass, come to pass, arrive, ensue, befall, eventuate, come after, arise, take effect, come into existence, recur, come into being, spring, proceed, issue, follow, come about, fall, repeat, appear, go on, become a fact, turn out, become known, supervene, be found, come to mind, come and go, come around, come round, come forth, transpire*, come off*; see also result.

happen is the general word meaning to take place or come to pass and may suggest either direct cause or apparent accident; chance, more or less equivalent to happen, always implies apparent lack of cause or purpose in the event; occur often suggests a specific event that appears in actuality or in the mind the accident occurred last week, the idea of quitting never occurred to her; transpire, in the sense of to take place, is now frequently used as a more formal or even pretentious equivalent for happen or occurwhat transpired at the conference, a development from the sense of to become known, or leak out it transpired that he had cheated

happen Usage Examples

Object

  • tomorrow: This information should really come from News ' content production software, but that's not going to happen tomorrow.
  • yesterday: Add an -s to the noun to make it plural, says grammar; you want to say it happened yesterday... ?
  • today: Bit of preamble first to give you the story so far, major problem happened today.

Preposition: on

  • occasion: Despite our extensive testing, this may still happen on rare occasions.
  • pitch: Whatever happens on the pitch next Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be plenty of entertainment off it.

Preposition: at

  • moment: Sleep is just not happening at the moment and I don't know why.

Adjective complement

  • next: I won't spoil the story of what happened next!
  • overnight: This change isn't expected to happen overnight, but it is expected to happen and sooner rather than later.

Used with why or when

  • when: And what happens when Mighty Flash's mortal enemy, Dark Smoke appears... ?
  • that: He suddenly said: ' Doesn't it make you think how events can happen that can change your life in an instant?
  • where: Should this happen where a purchaser makes over the price before his title is registered he can lose both the money and the property.

Infinitive complement

  • coincide: We did spend our one and only night in our tiny tent which just happened to coincide with a magnificent thunderstorm.
  • stumble: I happen to stumble upon your site quite by accident.
  • know: The train service is confoundedly bad, as I happen to know.

Present participle complement

  • depend: It seems likely that both styles can happen depending on which parts of the Moine Thrust Belt one considers.

Preposition: in

  • past: History simply was an account of what happened in the past.
  • future: And how are they going to ensure that this doesn't happen in the future?
  • world: Things happen in the Internet world in one seventh the time they used to take.

Preposition: with

  • regularity: Nonetheless, family contact has been extremely important to Ashley although this hasn't happened with the regularity he hoped for.

Preposition: by

  • accident: Not the kind of thing that happens by accident, tho.
happen Quotes

It Can't Happen Here.

—Lewis, (Harry) Sinclair

But it's the truth even if it didn't happen.

—Kesey, Ken Elton

Style is beginning something in the manner which will make it necessary for things that happen later to happen.

—Nichols, Mike originally Michael Peschowsky

HISTORICALOVERDOSING:To live in a period of time when too much seems to happen.

—Coupland, Douglas

   Whatever must happen ultimately should happen immediately.

—Kissinger, HenryAlfred

Browse dictionary entries near happen

  1. ‹ haply
  2. ‹ haplosis
  3. ‹ haplont
  4. ‹ haplology
  5. ‹ haploid
  6. ‹ haplo-
  7. ‹ hapless
  8. ‹ haphtara
  9. ‹ haphazardly
  10. ‹ haphazard
  1. happening ›
  2. happenstance ›
  3. happi coat ›
  4. happily ›
  5. happiness ›
  6. happy ›
  7. happy-go-lucky ›
  8. happy hour ›
  9. happy talk ›
  10. Hapsburg ›