8 results for: happen
hap·pen
Audio Help [hap-uh
n] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [hap-uh
n] Pronunciation Key –verb (used without object)
| 1. | to take place; come to pass; occur: Something interesting is always happening in New York. |
| 2. | to come to pass by chance; occur without apparent reason or design: Don't ask me what caused it—it just happened, that's all. |
| 3. | to have the fortune or lot (to do or be as specified); chance: I happened to see him on the street. |
| 4. | to befall, as to a person or thing: Something dreadful has happened to me. |
| 5. | to meet or discover by chance (usually fol. by on or upon): to happen on a clue to a mystery. |
| 6. | to be, come, go, etc., casually or by chance: My friend happened along. |
| 7. | Slang. to be very exciting or interesting: That party was happening! |
—Synonyms 1. betide. Happen, chance, occur refer to the taking place of an event. Happen, which originally denoted the taking place by hap or chance, is now the most general word for coming to pass: Something has happened. Chance suggests the accidental nature of an event: It chanced to rain that day. Occur is often interchangeable with happen, but is more formal, and is usually more specific as to time and event: His death occurred the following year.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
happen
To learn more about happen visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| hap·pen
Audio Help (hāp'ən) Pronunciation Key
intr.v. hap·pened, hap·pen·ing, hap·pens
[Middle English happenen, from hap, chance; see hap.] Synonyms: These verbs mean to come about: saw an awful thing happen; predicted that misery will befall humankind; woe that betides the poor soldier; former friends who chanced to meet again; described the accident exactly as it occurred. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
happen
c.1300, happenen "to come to pass, occur," originally "occur by hap" (see hap); replaced O.E. gelimpan, gesceon, and M.E. befall. First record of happenstance is 1897, formed from happening + circumstance. Happening in the sense of "spontaneous event or display" is from 1959.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| happen | |
verb | |
| 1. | come to pass; "What is happening?"; "The meeting took place off without an incidence"; "Nothing occurred that seemed important" |
| 2. | happen, occur, or be the case in the course of events or by chance; "It happens that today is my birthday"; "These things befell" (Santayana) |
| 3. | chance to be or do something, without intention or causation; "I happen to have just what you need!" |
| 4. | come into being; become reality; "Her dream really materialized" [ant: dematerialise] |
| 5. | come upon, as if by accident; meet with; "We find this idea in Plato"; "I happened upon the most wonderful bakery not very far from here"; "She chanced upon an interesting book in the bookstore the other day" [syn: find] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
happen1 [ˈhӕpən] verb
to take place or occur; to occur by chance
Example: What happened next?; It just so happens / As it happens, I have the key in my pocket.
happen2 [ˈhӕpən] verbExample: What happened next?; It just so happens / As it happens, I have the key in my pocket.
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(usually with to) to be done to (a person, thing etc)
Example: She's late — something must have happened to her.
happen3 [ˈhӕpən] verbExample: She's late — something must have happened to her.
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to do or be by chance
Example: I happened to find him; He happens to be my friend.
See also: happening, happen (up)onExample: I happened to find him; He happens to be my friend.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version), © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
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