hap·pen·ing

[hap-uh-ning]
noun
1.
something that happens; occurrence; event.
2.
an unconventional dramatic or artistically orchestrated performance, often a series of discontinuous events involving audience participation.
3.
any event considered worthwhile, unusual, or interesting.

Origin:
1545–55; 1965–70 for def 2; happen + -ing1


1. incident, episode, instance, affair, case.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

hap·pen

[hap-uhn]
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 followed 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!

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English hap(pe)nen. See hap1, -en1


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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To happening
00:10
Happening is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
happen (ˈhæpən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb (foll by to)
1.  (intr) (of an event in time) to come about or take place; occur
2.  (of some unforeseen circumstance or event, esp death), to fall to the lot (of); be a source of good or bad fortune (to): if anything happens to me, it'll be your fault
3.  (tr) to chance (to be or do something): I happen to know him
4.  (tr; takes a clause as object) to be the case, esp if by chance, that: it happens that I know him
 
adv, —sentence substitute
5.  dialect (Northern English)
 a.  another word for perhaps
 b.  (as sentence modifier): happen I'll see thee tomorrow
 

happening (ˈhæpənɪŋ, ˈhæpnɪŋ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  an occurrence; event
2.  an improvised or spontaneous display or performance consisting of bizarre and haphazard events
 
adj
3.  informal fashionable and up-to-the-minute

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

happening definition


  1. mod.
    fashionable; trendy; positive. (Collegiate.) : Wow, that's happening!
  2. n.
    an event. : The concert was a real happening.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
The best thoughts are not happening on our campuses, they are happening
  elsewhere.
People have talked about this before, but now changes are happening much more
  radically.
He looked up and was surprised to see that nothing was happening.
Keeping track of time is essential for perceiving what's happening around us
  and responding to it.
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