happen to
phrasal verb
happened to; happening to; happens to
: to affect or involve (someone or something) as the result of an event or action
An odd thing happened to me on my way to the office last week.
I wonder what/whatever happened to that guy after he lost his job.
especially
: to affect (someone or something) in a bad or harmful way
I promise nothing will happen to you.
What happened to the car? There's a big scratch on the fender.
Examples of happen to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Political scientists Steven Webster, Elizabeth Connors and I have investigated what happens to people’s social networks – their friends, family and neighbors – when partisan anger takes over.
—
Betsy Sinclair, The Conversation, 21 Mar. 2025
But the larger question still remains: What happens to these earliest memories?
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 Mar. 2025
Above and beyond overseeing all the other doctors while treating patients himself, Robby also has to deal with the panic of not knowing what’s happened to Jake (Taj Speights), the teenage son of an ex-girlfriend, who was attending the festival with tickets Robby got him.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2025
So why is what happened to Gemma still so hard to swallow?
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for happen to
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Betsy Sinclair, The Conversation, 21 Mar. 2025
But the larger question still remains: What happens to these earliest memories?
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 Mar. 2025
Above and beyond overseeing all the other doctors while treating patients himself, Robby also has to deal with the panic of not knowing what’s happened to Jake (Taj Speights), the teenage son of an ex-girlfriend, who was attending the festival with tickets Robby got him.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2025
So why is what happened to Gemma still so hard to swallow?
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for happen to
Articles Related to happen to
Cite this Entry
“Happen to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happen%20to. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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