Synonyms of befall

befall

verb

bi-ˈfȯl 

as in to happen

to take place

whatever befalls, we'll make the best of it and carry on

Synonyms & Similar Words

• happen
• occur
• be
• come
• do
• transpire
• come down
• betide
• come about
• come to pass
• pass
• cook
• come off
• go down
• hap
• go on
• arise
• chance
• rise
• materialize
• shape (up)
• develop
• proceed
• intervene
• result
• come up
• spring (up)
• crop (up)
• follow
• fall out
• turn out
• go off
• break

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of befall

The same fate, Al-Nabi added, befell the Gezira Museum in Wad Madani following the RSF’s invasion of Gezira state. —Eissa Dafallah, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026

The family soon joins a group of ravers in a journey across the Sahara Desert, where surreal tragedy after surreal tragedy befalls them. —Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026

The effort was in large part a response to the catastrophe that befell Flint, Michigan, a decade ago when dangerous levels of lead leached into the city’s water supply from old lead pipes, exposing people across the city to the toxic metal. —Suzanne King, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026

But Jimmy Chin is the exception, filming his climb, avalanches, injuries, and near-fatal setbacks that befall the voyage. —Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026