Link Centre Dictionary

happen

hap·pen

UK/ˈhæpən/ US/ˈhæpʌn/ very common informal

verb

1.

come to pass

  • “What is happening?”
  • “The meeting took place off without an incidence”
  • “Nothing occurred that seemed important”
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
3.

chance to be or do something, without intention or causation

  • “I happen to have just what you need!”
4.

come into being; become reality

  • “Her dream really materialized”
Synonyms
Antonyms
5.

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

  • “We find this idea in Plato”
  • “I happened upon the most wonderful bakery not very far from here”
  • “She chanced upon an interesting book in the bookstore the other day”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English happenen, hapnen, augmented from Middle English happen (“to come to pass, happen”), perhaps from Old English hæppan (“to move accidentally, slip”) and/or from Old Norse *happa, *heppa, from Proto-Germanic *hampijaną (“to fit in, be fitting”).

Phrases

  • accident waiting to happen
  • accidents will happen
  • accidents will happen in the best regulated families
  • as it happens
  • couldn't happen to a nicer
  • disaster waiting to happen
  • happen across
  • happen along

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

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.