Synonyms
Examples of befall in a Sentence
Tori Otten, The New Republic, 20 Sep. 2023
But the storm is only the latest misery to befall the town.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 13 Sep. 2023
It was also derided as unfair: Even a felony as minor as stealing a slice of pizza could result in a 25-year sentence, a situation that befell one man, Jerry Dewayne Williams.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 24 July 2023
However, The Nun 2 suffers from a dilemma befalling many a midquel: It’s boxed in by canon.
—Vulture, 8 Sep. 2023
The Mission gang unit has largely avoided the type of scandals that have befallen other gang units, despite being among the most active in terms of traffic stops.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
If estimable Stanford, which won the Pac-12 as recently as 2015 and went to 10 straight bowl games between 2009 and 2018, can be tossed aside like a candy wrapper, then the same fate could befall BC if the Atlantic Coast Conference fractured.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2023
What sanctions will befall those who color outside the lines of their grants?
—Jan Hoffman, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2023
In both versions, the captain’s log of the Demeter ship tells of the mysterious fates that befell its crew during a voyage from Romania to England, and how the ship turned up with only its dead captain on board.
—Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'befall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English befallen, going back to Old English befeallan (parallel to Old High German bifallan "to fall"), from be- be- + feallan "to fall entry 1"
13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
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Cite this Entry
“Befall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/befall. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on befall
Nglish: Translation of befall for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of befall for Arabic Speakers
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