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