happens

VERB

come to pass; occur

Synonyms

STRONGEST

appear arise arrive crop up develop fall go on hit materialize meet pass result take effect take place transpire

STRONG

befall betide bump chance down ensue eventuate follow issue light proceed recur shake smoke spring stumble supervene

WEAK

be found become a fact become known become of come about come after come into being come into existence come off luck present itself stumble upon turn out turn up what goes

Antonyms

STRONGEST

cease disappear fail halt lose stop

STRONG

precede

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“This army happens to be on the move again.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

There are a few other critical points: The extent of monitoring, what happens to the nuclear facilities, and what happens to that highly enriched uranium.

From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026

In this age of fairness and reason, it’s hard to imagine a government official misusing power to keep secrets, but I’m told it happens.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

Blood-loss anemia happens when the body loses red blood cells through bleeding.

From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026

But that always happens in the beginning of learning new material.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold