happening

noun hap·pen·ing \ ˈhap-niŋ , ˈha-pə- \

Definition of happening

1 :something that happens :occurrence

2 :an event or series of events designed to evoke a spontaneous reaction to sensory, emotional, or spiritual stimuli

3 :something (such as an event) that is particularly interesting, entertaining, or important

See happening defined for English-language learners

See happening defined for kids

Examples of happening in a Sentence

the President's visit to the school was a real happening for teachers and students alike
gave a detailed account of all the happenings of the weekend

Recent Examples of happening from the Web

But rain and thunderstorms may obscure the celestial happenings in other parts of the country.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "Catch the Perseid Meteor Shower’s Fiery Show," 11 Aug. 2017
To stay informed of happenings at Carl Sandburg High School, head to http://sandburg.d230.org/ Orland Township hosted its Back to School Health Fair July 29, which assisted just over 400 people.

— laura hinderman, Daily Southtown, "Welcome back to back-to-school season," 8 Aug. 2017
There are a lot of major happenings for Jefferson County Public Schools parents to follow along with this school year, as classes get started on Aug. 16. 1.

— allison ross, The Courier-Journal, "6 things JCPS parents should know for the new school year," 3 Aug. 2017
August is jam-packed with a variety of happenings across Northern Kentucky.

— melissa reinert, Cincinnati.com, "NKY Roundup: HomeFest, Battery Hooper Days, Holy Cross Fest," 2 Aug. 2017
The first two sentences of Deuteronomy are headlines for the earlier events as found in the first section, and the next three sentences for the final happenings as laid out in the second section.

— rabbi avi weiss, Jewish Journal, "Weiss: The nature and structure of the book of Devarim," 24 July 2017
There are things people can do to increase the likelihood of that happening.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "How to Handle One Parent's Rejection After Coming Out as Queer," 30 June 2017
There are few signs of that happening, which means China will remain a cloud of risk hovering over the global economy.

— michael schuman, Bloomberg.com, "What South Korea’s 1997 Meltdown Can Teach China in 2017," 29 June 2017
Open to the public, the next two summer happenings are noon to 10 p.m., July 9 and Aug. 13 at 3300-3398 Collins Ave.

— christina mayo, miamiherald, "Students at Nautilus Middle and Bay Harbor K-8 win Novack music awards," 22 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'happening.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of happening

15th century

happening Synonyms

Synonyms

emprise, experience, exploit, gest (or geste), adventure, time

Related Words

escapade, lark, ploy; act, action, deed, doing, feat; episode, occasion; baptism, ordeal, test, trial, tribulation; enterprise, risk, venture; expedition, exploration, mission, performance, quest, stunt

Near Antonyms

bore, bummer, bust, downer, drag

happening

adjective

Definition of happening

1 :very fashionable :in

a happening hairstyle

2 :offering much stimulating activity

a happening dance club

See happening defined for English-language learners

Examples of happening in a Sentence

This is quite a happening town on the weekends.
those are some happening duds, man

Recent Examples of happening from the Web

Again in 1921, that very happening year, the poet Manuel Maples Arce plastered Mexico City with broadsheets announcing the birth of a cultural movement.

— holland cotter, New York Times, "“Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910-1950”," 27 Oct. 2016