as in to happen
to take place
whatever befalls, we'll make the best of it and carry on
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of befall
Even more scrutiny would have befallen that big three.
—
Zach Harper, New York Times, 18 June 2025
Residents are frustrated and angry because such outages have befallen Puerto Rico for years.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025
While American higher education has been distracted, disaster has befallen the Class of 2025.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Card values can go down, but not as near to zero as is possible when bad news befalls active athletes.
—Michael Salfino, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for befall
Zach Harper, New York Times, 18 June 2025
Residents are frustrated and angry because such outages have befallen Puerto Rico for years.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025
While American higher education has been distracted, disaster has befallen the Class of 2025.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Card values can go down, but not as near to zero as is possible when bad news befalls active athletes.
—Michael Salfino, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for befall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befall
Verb
-
There was a fan-cast that happened that same day, and the first person to post something, their fan cast was me.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
15 July 2025
-
Nothing that happened in the meeting between Jaishankar and Wang Yi changes this larger reality.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
Verb
-
Riccardo Boni, 17, was on a beach at Montalto di Castro, a resort about 70 miles north of his home city of Rome, with his parents and siblings when the incident occurred at around 3 p.m. local time on Thursday, July 10, per local outlet Il Messaggero.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
12 July 2025
-
The teen, identified as Riccardo Boni by several Italian media outlets, was vacationing in Montalto di Castro, Italy, with his family when the incident occurred on Thursday, July 10.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Befall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befall. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share