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
On the final night of the convention, two of the stars who also happen to be incredibly talented musicians, treated fans to an intimate concert in a local venue on the square, Canopy + The Roots.
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Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2025
In it, Neeson is Frank Drebin Jr., the grizzled cop son of original star Frank Drebin (the incomparable late Leslie Nielsen), who also happens to be seemingly genetically predisposed to wacky happenstance in his day-to-day life.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 1 Aug. 2025
Marv and Fran just so happened to be sitting in a box just above us.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
His just happens to be producing and telling the story of the unification and colonization of Hawaii in the late 18th century in an Apple TV+ show.
—Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for happen to
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Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2025
In it, Neeson is Frank Drebin Jr., the grizzled cop son of original star Frank Drebin (the incomparable late Leslie Nielsen), who also happens to be seemingly genetically predisposed to wacky happenstance in his day-to-day life.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 1 Aug. 2025
Marv and Fran just so happened to be sitting in a box just above us.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
His just happens to be producing and telling the story of the unification and colonization of Hawaii in the late 18th century in an Apple TV+ show.
—Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 1 Aug. 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 4 Aug. 2025.
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