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

With no answers, her parents’ intense grief settled into silence, and her three brothers grew up not knowing what happened to their 3-year-old sister. —Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 28 Feb. 2026

The facility happens to be on the military base Fort Bliss, where the Pentagon has been testing that high-energy anti-drone laser. —Garrett M. Graff, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026

With Paramount taking on billions in debt and equity for this deal to go through, many are wondering what will happen to the two California studio lots, especially in a moment where productions are rarer and rarer in California. —Lindsey Bahr, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026

Having been warned that a former child prodigy is coming to town, Salieri first happens to spy Mozart playing a naughty game of hide-and-seek with his wife-to-be, Constanze Weber (Lauren Worsham), in and out of her skirt. —Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for happen to

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