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
The last time that happened to any NFL team was Week 3 of the 2016 season.
—
Dan Duggan, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
This is what happens to faulty foundations.
—Omar Kelly
updated October 5, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
The genre’s intense emotional valence happens to be a perfect match for the video platform, where many videos are filmed as direct, first-person addresses.
—Rebecca Ackermann, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2025
What happens to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid?
—Terry Moseley, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for happen to
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Dan Duggan, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
This is what happens to faulty foundations.
—Omar Kelly
updated October 5, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
The genre’s intense emotional valence happens to be a perfect match for the video platform, where many videos are filmed as direct, first-person addresses.
—Rebecca Ackermann, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2025
What happens to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid?
—Terry Moseley, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for happen to
Cite this Entry
“Happen to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happen%20to. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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