befell

past tense of befall

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 befell Manchester City and Liverpool avoided the fate that befell Arsenal by winning penalty shootouts on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the English League Cup. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026 But the worst fate befell the region’s Native Americans, who were first driven from the goldfields and then subjected to a campaign of wholesale annihilation. — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026 The last thing Team Bond wants is a scandal like the one that befell Marvel after casting Jonathan Majors in a multi-film villain role. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2026 Legend has it that sad fates befell those who made her angry and happy ones those who were kind to her. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026 The song, written with Dan Wilson, isn’t just a story of the turmoil that befell the band post-2003. — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026 In March, too, Nix ran through the series of fortunate-turned-unfortunate events that befell him in January. — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2026 By not putting out a press release or social media post announcing their Kalshi partnerships, both MLB clubs avoided the kind of embarrassing backlash that befell the New York Mets a few weeks ago. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Perhaps, then, the back spasms that befell him on May 23 were a blessing. — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befell
Verb
  • That, however, never happened and an attorney eventually petitioned for his release.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • His death happened two weeks after his release tour for High, Lonesome and Then Some was canceled following Snider’s involvement in a still-unclear incident in Salt Lake City that landed him in a hospital and in jail.
    — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The attack occurred along a section of the waterfront path overlooking Gravesend Bay, with views of Staten Island and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the Post reported.
    — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Most spectators had already left the stadium after the game when the shooting occurred nearby, where vendors were set up along the street, Pickett said.
    — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Befell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befell. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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