happen

1 come to pass; "What is happening?"; "The meeting took place off without an incidence"; "Nothing occurred that seemed important" [syn: hap, go on, pass off, occur, pass, fall out, come about, take place]

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) [syn: befall, bechance]

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" [syn: materialize, materialise] [ant: dematerialize, dematerialize]

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, chance, bump, encounter]

see Happen

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -æpən

Verb

1. To occur.

   Let me tell you how it happened.

   Take an umbrella in case it happens to rain.

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Related terms

• happening

Translations

Dutch

Verb

happen

1. to take bites

Noun

happen

1. Plural of hap

be found, be met with, be realized, bechance, become of, befall, betide, break, bump, chance, come, come about, come along, come down, come off, come to pass, come true, come upon, cook, develop, do, encounter, eventuate, fall, fall out, find, give, go, go off, go on, hap, happen along, happen by chance, hazard, hit, light, luck, materialize, meet, meet with, occur, pass, pass off, pop up, prove, rise, stumble, stumble on, stumble upon, take place, transpire, tumble, turn out, turn up