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
Pluribus did this by simulating what might happen in the game after making different choices.
—Andrew Montequin, jsonline.com, 29 July 2025
Shooting happened after neighbor stopped by mailbox At 5:51 p.m., on July 22, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called about shooting outside a home in the 100 block of Randolph Street.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 29 July 2025
John McCook said his father and grandparents were glad that Boyd talked to them about what happened.
—Claire Osborn, Austin American Statesman, 29 July 2025
Despite the impressive front-end capabilities, both leaders warn that AI without governance is a disaster waiting to happen, especially for small teams with limited oversight.
—Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for happen
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Andrew Montequin, jsonline.com, 29 July 2025
Shooting happened after neighbor stopped by mailbox At 5:51 p.m., on July 22, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called about shooting outside a home in the 100 block of Randolph Street.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 29 July 2025
John McCook said his father and grandparents were glad that Boyd talked to them about what happened.
—Claire Osborn, Austin American Statesman, 29 July 2025
Despite the impressive front-end capabilities, both leaders warn that AI without governance is a disaster waiting to happen, especially for small teams with limited oversight.
—Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for happen
Cite this Entry
“Happen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happen. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share