as in happened
to take place
whatever befalls, we'll make the best of it and carry on
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Recent Examples of befallen
That exact same scenario has befallen Pool B of the WBC, except it’s turned everyone into mathematicians heading into the finale.
—
Maria Torres, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Our hearts are heavy, and we are deeply stricken by this tragedy that has befallen one of our own.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 25 Jan. 2026
Our hearts are heavy, and we are deeply stricken by this tragedy that has befallen one of our own.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 24 Jan. 2026
There's a mysterious little girl (Caoilinn Springall) on the station with him, and 2) her only hope for survival is the Aether, a distant spaceship that's returning to Earth unaware of the fate that's befallen it.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Dec. 2025
A little more than a week after the franchise and general manager Chris Grier mutually parted ways, a similar fate has befallen co-directors of player personnel Adam Engroff and Anthony Hunt, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
—Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2025
This is far from the only injury that has befallen the Buccaneers' receiving corps this year.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
The Los Angeles Film School paid $1 million to resolve a federal audit in 2020, but avoided the stiffer penalties that have befallen other for-profit colleges accused of fraud.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert appeared on each other’s shows last night, using both opportunities to reflect on the recent chaos that has befallen late-night TV.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
Maria Torres, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Our hearts are heavy, and we are deeply stricken by this tragedy that has befallen one of our own.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 25 Jan. 2026
Our hearts are heavy, and we are deeply stricken by this tragedy that has befallen one of our own.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 24 Jan. 2026
There's a mysterious little girl (Caoilinn Springall) on the station with him, and 2) her only hope for survival is the Aether, a distant spaceship that's returning to Earth unaware of the fate that's befallen it.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Dec. 2025
A little more than a week after the franchise and general manager Chris Grier mutually parted ways, a similar fate has befallen co-directors of player personnel Adam Engroff and Anthony Hunt, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
—Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2025
This is far from the only injury that has befallen the Buccaneers' receiving corps this year.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
The Los Angeles Film School paid $1 million to resolve a federal audit in 2020, but avoided the stiffer penalties that have befallen other for-profit colleges accused of fraud.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert appeared on each other’s shows last night, using both opportunities to reflect on the recent chaos that has befallen late-night TV.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befallen
Verb
-
The most recent deadly chase happened in Pomona on Wednesday night.—
Tom Wait,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Hernandez said he was encouraged by recent meetings with Republican members of Congress from his home state, Florida, but worries other priorities will drown out the bill, as has happened in the past.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Soto will have imaging done Saturday, manager Carlos Mendoza said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
But without the push from one world to the other, the work could never begin, much less get done.—
Jed Perl,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But a major turning point in the power of the office occurred in 2009 with the contested reelection of the hard-liner president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, amid widespread allegations of electoral fraud.—
Roxane Razavi,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Most of the operations that have occurred on the mission so far have helped build toward the TLI burn.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befallen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befallen. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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