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
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
Xayavong had befallen the same fate and was found about a week later in a Coon Rapids storage unit.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 14 Sep. 2025
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
Xayavong had befallen the same fate and was found about a week later in a Coon Rapids storage unit.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befallen
Verb
-
The cause of the accident, which happened shortly before noon in good weather, was not immediately clear.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The water reaching the Lower Basin will probably fall below that point later this year or next, which has never happened, said Brenda Burman, general manager of the Central Arizona Project.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Holtmann’s mission, of course, was to change that through winning, something DePaul rarely has done this century.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The scenic designer is Brian Prather, who has done many TheaterWorks Hartford shows in the past and once held the title of resident designer and design coordinator there.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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What appeared to be a gun was visible in the waistband of Pretti, who was carrying a handgun when his fatal encounter with Border Patrol agents occurred.—
Asra Q. Nomani , Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Growth in services consumption outpacing goods expenditure largely reflects rising average income levels and would likely have occurred even without policy support, said Duncan Wrigley, chief China economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befallen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befallen. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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