happened; happening
ˈha-pə-niŋ 
ˈhap-niŋ
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
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.
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
What’s happened is that the Knights (20-6) went into the weight room, got stronger to make up for losing Stokes’ rebounding prowess and are very much alive in the Southern Section Open Division playoffs after defeating La Mirada 76-60 on Wednesday night in their opening game of Pool D.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Expectations are high that something could be happening soon, as TMZ reported that there has been movement in the Bitcoin account listed in the first ransom note.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 11 Feb. 2026
Police in the city of Washington are investigating multiple incidents that happened on Saturday morning.
—Garrett Behanna, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Things like that that have never happened before.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for happen
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Expectations are high that something could be happening soon, as TMZ reported that there has been movement in the Bitcoin account listed in the first ransom note.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 11 Feb. 2026
Police in the city of Washington are investigating multiple incidents that happened on Saturday morning.
—Garrett Behanna, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Things like that that have never happened before.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for happen
Cite this Entry
“Happen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happen. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
happen
verb
hap·pen
ˈhap-ən
ˈhap-ᵊm
happened; happening
ˈhap-(ə-)niŋ
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
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