as in to occur
to take place
did anything exciting happen over the summer?
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of happen
Watkins said the public was assured change would happen.
—
ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
The hope of one day inheriting Cal’s construction empire was part of what motivated Nate to act so … violently in high school, but without the context of how that takeover happened, his success strains credulity.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
This time around, what will happen?
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
That’s when these incidents seem to happen.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for happen
ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
The hope of one day inheriting Cal’s construction empire was part of what motivated Nate to act so … violently in high school, but without the context of how that takeover happened, his success strains credulity.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
This time around, what will happen?
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
That’s when these incidents seem to happen.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for happen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happen
Verb
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The injury occurred while running the bases, so Soto has to be able to slow down, speed up and round the bases before returning to play.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
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But when the real drama involving the pope is occurring thousands of miles and time zones away, being in the Vatican bubble is a somewhat jarring experience.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The laughs come fast and furious, too, on a relentless rhythm with an astonishing hit rate.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
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Each board comes with spread containers, bowls and a cheese knife.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There is a continued shortage of memory chips which has driven prices of that component to unprecedented highs.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
15 Apr. 2026
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Data obtained from the license plates cannot be held for more than 21 days unless there is an active criminal investigation, officials said.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That leaves Washington at a strange juncture, with widespread agreement among lawmakers that something should be done to address the issue of prediction markets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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LaCava said money is set aside for a complete repaving of Via Capri once utility work in the area is done.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Happen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happen. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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