happen

verb

hap·​pen ˈha-pən How to pronounce happen (audio)
-pᵊm
happened; happening ˈha-pə-niŋ How to pronounce happen (audio)
ˈhap-niŋ
Synonyms of happennext

intransitive verb

1
: to occur by chance
—often used with it
it so happens I'm going your way
2
: to come into being or occur as an event, process, or result
mistakes will happen
3
: to do, encounter, or attain something by or as if by chance
I happen to know the answer
4
a
: to meet or discover something by chance
happened upon a system that worked— Richard Corbin
b
: to come or go casually : make a chance appearance
he might happen by at any time
5
: to come especially by way of injury or harm
I promise nothing will happen to you

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of happen in a Sentence

Something like that was bound to happen sooner or later. You never know what's going to happen when they get together. What happened at school today? “What's happening?” “They're installing new equipment.”
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These offer more insight into party members, the consequences of events that happen in the main story, and the general nature of society in New Los Angeles. — Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2025 The incident, which happened during the 3rd quarter of the New York Knicks-vs-Miami Heat bout, led to the game being stopped as Morgan was wheeled out of the arena while pressing a towel to his mouth. — Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 18 Mar. 2025 Check below for the winning numbers in Monday’s Powerball drawing, which happened just after 11 p.m. ET. — Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025 Even if United win the Europa League this season, the club’s prize money would fail to hit £40m. Such a triumph would, however, bring a financial boon that won’t be happening via United’s league finish this season: a return to the Champions League. — Chris Weatherspoon, The Athletic, 18 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for happen

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from hap

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of happen was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing happen

Rhymes for happen

See All Rhymes for happen

Browse Nearby Words

happen
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Cite this Entry

“Happen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happen. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

happen

verb
hap·​pen ˈhap-ən How to pronounce happen (audio)
ˈhap-ᵊm
happened; happening ˈhap-(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce happen (audio)
1
: to occur or come about by chance
2
: to take place : occur
3
: to have occasion or opportunity
happened to overhear
4
a
: to meet or find something by chance
happened upon the right answer
b
: to appear casually or by chance
happened into the room just as the music started
5
: to come by way of injury or harm
nothing will happen to you
Etymology

Middle English happenen "to occur by chance," from hap "chance, chance occurrence" — related to happy, mishap, perhaps

More from Merriam-Webster on happen

Nglish: Translation of happen for Spanish Speakers

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