happen to

phrasal verb

happened to; happening to; happens to

: to affect or involve (someone or something) as the result of an event or action

An odd thing happened to me on my way to the office last week.

I wonder what/whatever happened to that guy after he lost his job.

especially : to affect (someone or something) in a bad or harmful way

I promise nothing will happen to you.

What happened to the car? There's a big scratch on the fender.

Examples of happen to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Olympic figure skating legend Dorothy Hamill, 69, and her husband, John MacColl, happened to be seated directly behind Danback and his wife and daughter. —Steve Buckley, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026

But, first, the filmmaker is directing Russell in Michelob ULTRA’s new Super Bowl advertisement, which also happens to star Maverick’s very own Pullman. —Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Feb. 2026

What remains to be seen is what happens to 13,750 additional plaintiffs who are also seeking compensation. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026

There’s already evidence of what would happen to wild animals if the screwworm makes a comeback. —Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 7 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for happen to

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• caribou
• cockatoo
• detinue
• devalue