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
That is what happened to my bear Robinson, who was forced to suffer for years on a bile farm.
—
Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
That happened to me at the Academy Awards.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Jan. 2026
What happened to those $5,000 DOGE checks?
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 5 Jan. 2026
Porsche’s predecessor to the latest 911 Turbo S was already a profoundly quick and capable everyday sports car that happened to pack supercar performance.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for happen to
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Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
That happened to me at the Academy Awards.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Jan. 2026
What happened to those $5,000 DOGE checks?
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 5 Jan. 2026
Porsche’s predecessor to the latest 911 Turbo S was already a profoundly quick and capable everyday sports car that happened to pack supercar performance.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2026
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 10 Jan. 2026.
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