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 befell
The same fate befell Quebec Amazon employees who unionized in 2024.
—
Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
The answer lies in both its tactics and in the tragedy which befell the club over the summer.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
In this soft dystopia, our military forces will not be destroyed in a cataclysmic confrontation with the armies of Communism, as befell Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
At Delta State University on Wednesday, there were few signs of the tragedy that befell the campus this week and disrupted the beginning of a new school year.
—Daniella Silva, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2025
Sadly, the midnight movie magic that befell me and my Long Treadmill compatriots will be gone from our city by then.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
But this preseason, the circumstances that so often befell a roster already too thin to begin with didn’t manifest themselves for a change.
—Howard Megdal, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
The answer lies in both its tactics and in the tragedy which befell the club over the summer.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
In this soft dystopia, our military forces will not be destroyed in a cataclysmic confrontation with the armies of Communism, as befell Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
At Delta State University on Wednesday, there were few signs of the tragedy that befell the campus this week and disrupted the beginning of a new school year.
—Daniella Silva, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2025
Sadly, the midnight movie magic that befell me and my Long Treadmill compatriots will be gone from our city by then.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
But this preseason, the circumstances that so often befell a roster already too thin to begin with didn’t manifest themselves for a change.
—Howard Megdal, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befell
Verb
-
That’s exactly what happened — and the Aggies may even be on the way up in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Dreier says that understanding what happened and is happening to Mars could help scientists better protect our own climate and atmosphere from current and future solar threats.—
Matthew Glasser,
ABC News,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The cases occurred in Arizona, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The crescendo of my fandom occurred in 2002 when the Angels prevailed over the Giants in the seventh game of the World Series.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Befell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befell. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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