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
Liljenquist already knew his team would be looking into buying a house — and Julie Liljenquist happens to be a Realtor.
—
Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025
This player also happens to be one of Allen's go-to offensive teammates.
—Anne Erickson, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
So many people share similar stories from their own lives — what happened to my aunt, my grandmother.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 7 Dec. 2025
That’s exactly what happened to me in Barcelona during my study abroad program.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2025
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Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025
This player also happens to be one of Allen's go-to offensive teammates.
—Anne Erickson, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
So many people share similar stories from their own lives — what happened to my aunt, my grandmother.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 7 Dec. 2025
That’s exactly what happened to me in Barcelona during my study abroad program.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 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 9 Dec. 2025.
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