as in happening
to take place
whatever befalls, we'll make the best of it and carry on
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Recent Examples of befalling
Bad luck befalling one rival is probable in this league.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 1 June 2026
Our leaders owe it to all of us to do their utmost to prevent this fate from befalling anyone else.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
The problem befalling many a meatball sub is the roll.
—Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026
Achilles ruptures also decimated the 2025 NBA playoffs, befalling stars such as Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and then-Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard, who now plays for the Portland Trail Blazers.
—Matt Villano, CNN Money, 3 Dec. 2025
But researchers can advance the potential for new and beneficial drugs while legislators help prevent such tragedies from befalling other families.
—David Kroll, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2025
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 1 June 2026
Our leaders owe it to all of us to do their utmost to prevent this fate from befalling anyone else.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
The problem befalling many a meatball sub is the roll.
—Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026
Achilles ruptures also decimated the 2025 NBA playoffs, befalling stars such as Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and then-Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard, who now plays for the Portland Trail Blazers.
—Matt Villano, CNN Money, 3 Dec. 2025
But researchers can advance the potential for new and beneficial drugs while legislators help prevent such tragedies from befalling other families.
—David Kroll, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befalling
Verb
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Maxim voiced frustration that repairs weren’t happening quickly enough and resentment at the intrusion on his privacy as workers came in and out.—
Zahra Ullah,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
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On top of that, the SpaceX IPO is happening near the end of the second quarter, when more than $100 billion of stock sales unrelated to the IPO were already expected, according to Boutle.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Their goals, occurring 39 seconds apart, are the fastest three in a Cup Final game.—
Mark Anderson,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
-
General Hypersonics conducted two launches exceeding Mach 4 from the same reusable launch system, with the second launch occurring approximately 90 minutes after the first.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befalling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befalling. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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