happenverb [ I ]
uk/ˈhæp.ən/us/ˈhæp.ən/happen verb [ I ] (HAVE EXISTENCE)
A2 (of a situation or an event) to have existence or come into existence:
No one knows exactly what happened but several people have been hurt.
Anything could happen in the next half hour.
A funny thing happened in the office today.
I don't want to think about what might have happened if he'd been driving any faster.
happen to sb
A2 If something happens to someone or something, it has an effect on him, her, or it:
I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to him (= if he was hurt, became ill, or died).
What happened to your jacket? There's a big rip in the sleeve.
What's happened to my pen? (= Where is it?) I put it down there a few moments ago.
More examples
- It is frightening to think what might happen if she left him.
- I cannot predict what will happen next year.
- I could tell from her expression that something serious had happened.
- The police showed him a photo to try to jog his memory about what had happened on the night of the robbery.
- "Do you remember much about the accident?" "No, it all happened so suddenly."
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Occurring and happening
- afoot
- assail
- asynchronous
- attendant
- be at work idiom
- become
- come
- come up
- concur
- event
- go ahead
- go down
- go hand in hand with sth idiom
- go together
- go with sth
- hand
- intervene
- materialize
- occur
- underway
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happen verb [ I ] (CHANCE)
C1 to do or be by chance:
[ + to infinitive ] They happened to look (= looked by chance) in the right place almost immediately.
[ + (that) ] Fortunately it happened (that) there was no one in the house at the time of the explosion.
[ + that ] It just so happens that I have her phone number right here.
She happens to like cleaning (= she likes cleaning, although that is surprising).
I happen to think he's right (= I do think so, although you do not).
As it happened (= although it was not planned), I had a few minutes to spare.
More examples
- On Sundays I just wear any old thing that I happen to find lying around.
- Did she happen to mention whether she would be coming?
- I just happened to be walking past when he came out of the shop.
- Jack happens to be a cousin of mine, so I'll introduce you to him.
- Do you happen to know what time the next bus is due?
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Chance and randomness
- accident
- arbitrary
- as luck would have it idiom
- be the luck of the draw idiom
- casual
- circumstance
- fortuitous
- haphazard
- happenstance
- harum-scarum
- hit-and-miss
- lottery
- more by accident than design idiom
- more by luck than judgment idiom
- one in a million idiom
- postcode lottery
- pot luck
- serendipity
- stochastic
- stumble into sth
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Phrasal verb(s)
happen along/by (somewhere)
happen on/upon sth/sb
happenadverb
uk/ˈhæp.ən/us/ˈhæp.ən/UK Northern Englishperhaps:
Happen it'll rain later on.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Possible and probable
- (the) chances are idiom
- always
- anything's possible idiom
- arguably
- as never before idiom
- avenue
- course
- lean towards sth
- liable
- likelihood
- likely
- may well idiom
- sporting chance
- stand
- strange
- stranger things have happened idiom
- strong
- ten
- ten to one idiom
- vista
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