Definition of happen
1
: to occur by chance
—often used with it it so happens I'm going your way
2
: to come into being or occur as an event, process, or result
mistakes will happen
3
: to do, encounter, or attain something by or as if by chance
I happen to know the answer
4a
: to meet or discover something by chance
happened upon a system that worked— Richard Corbin
b
: to come or go casually : make a chance appearance
he might happen by at any time
5
: to come especially by way of injury or harm
I promise nothing will happen to you
Test Your Vocabulary
Great Words for Scrabble
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- Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?

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TAKE THE QUIZ
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for happen
The first known use of happen was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century