Link Centre Dictionary

befall

be·fall

UK/bɪˈfɔːl/ US/bɪˈfɔl/ uncommon obsolete

verb

1.

become of; happen to

  • “He promised that no harm would befall her”
  • “What has become of my children?”
Synonyms
2.

happen, occur, or be the case in the course of events or by chance

  • “It happens that today is my birthday”
  • “These things befell”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English bifallen, from Old English befeallan, from Proto-West Germanic *bifallan, from Proto-Germanic *bifallaną; equivalent to be- + fall.

Related words

Broader terms

Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.