happen to
phrasal verb
happened to; happening to; happens to
: to affect or involve (someone or something) as the result of an event or action
An odd thing happened to me on my way to the office last week.
I wonder what/whatever happened to that guy after he lost his job.
especially
: to affect (someone or something) in a bad or harmful way
I promise nothing will happen to you.
What happened to the car? There's a big scratch on the fender.
Examples of happen to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Toledo says her children, whose fourth birthday her husband missed on June 11, remain disturbed by what happened to their father and his ongoing absence.
—
Ben Adler, USA Today, 14 June 2025
But the Dodger on third happened to be Maury Wills and for once Willie the Wonder met more than his match.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 14 June 2025
What happened to Angelia Resendiz is a mystery, but her mother wants to get to the bottom of it.
—Rosa Flores, CNN Money, 13 June 2025
In the summer of 2023, strange things happened to the tiny creatures that swim and float in the Chicago River.
—Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for happen to
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Ben Adler, USA Today, 14 June 2025
But the Dodger on third happened to be Maury Wills and for once Willie the Wonder met more than his match.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 14 June 2025
What happened to Angelia Resendiz is a mystery, but her mother wants to get to the bottom of it.
—Rosa Flores, CNN Money, 13 June 2025
In the summer of 2023, strange things happened to the tiny creatures that swim and float in the Chicago River.
—Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for happen to
Cite this Entry
“Happen to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happen%20to. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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