befell
bi-ˈfel 
bē-
; befallen
bi-ˈfȯ-lən
bē-
: to happen especially as if by fate
: to happen to
the fate that befell them
Examples of befall in a Sentence
It's sad to think of the unhappy fate that befell him.
The drought was only one of many hardships to befall the small country.
Recent Examples on the Web
The same fate befalls the HAKOS Astro Guest Farm, a remote mountainous escape for amateur astronomers.
—
Jamie Carter, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Yet, for all the similarities between the harms that befell Liuzzo and Good, there is the unsettling possibility that the circumstances surrounding the latter’s death may be even more bleak.
—Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
But when a tragedy befalls the hotel, Nina is propelled in a relentless spiral of lies and manipulations.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 18 Jan. 2026
The roots of Soviet and post-Soviet homophobia lie not in religion, but in the legacy of the Soviet gulag—where being homosexual was considered the worst thing that could befall a man.
—Mikhail Zygar, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for befall
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Jamie Carter, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Yet, for all the similarities between the harms that befell Liuzzo and Good, there is the unsettling possibility that the circumstances surrounding the latter’s death may be even more bleak.
—Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
But when a tragedy befalls the hotel, Nina is propelled in a relentless spiral of lies and manipulations.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 18 Jan. 2026
The roots of Soviet and post-Soviet homophobia lie not in religion, but in the legacy of the Soviet gulag—where being homosexual was considered the worst thing that could befall a man.
—Mikhail Zygar, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for befall
Cite this Entry
“Befall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/befall. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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