as in to encounter
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face
happened upon the hotel manager in the lobby and promptly complained about the room
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happen (upon)
Verb
-
In 2024, Chen Goldberg encountered a problem familiar to many senior operators.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026 -
The majority of people the students encountered were supportive.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Seahawks and Rams met in the NFC Championship Game, which was only decided by four points.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The Milwaukee-area real estate market has far too few homes to meet feverish homebuyer demand.—
Francesca Pica,
jsonline.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Happen (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happen%20%28upon%29. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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