happen (on or upon)

verb

Definition of happen (on or upon)next
as in to find
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance happened on the filming of a movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for happen (on or upon)
  1. find
  2. encounter
  3. come across
Verb
  • The story centers on two ex-lovers who come back into each other’s lives after spending decades apart, only to find old feelings stirring with messy and mixed results.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Hall found that forecasting future consumer spending is virtually impossible.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of find
Verb
  • Building repairs can bring equipment or barriers into common areas, and unfinished work may leave a space looking different from the way residents normally encounter it.
    — Emma Clapp, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Birds breeding in one part of the continent may travel one route and encounter one set of environmental conditions, while members of the same species experience a completely different set of conditions along another route.
    — Amy L. Scarpignato, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of encounter
Verb
  • Lead vocalist Jacob Bannon came across the phenomenon when researching his own tinnitus and reimagined it as a culmination of all the pain and suffering in human existence.
    — Alex Robert Ross, Pitchfork, 24 June 2026
  • So Veena’s mother turned to the internet, came across a blog post about Real Love and spoke to the woman who wrote it, a mother whose son had been suicidal.
    — Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 20 June 2026
Definition of come across
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.

Browse Nearby Words

happening (upon)
happen (on or upon)
happens
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Cite this Entry

“Happen (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happen%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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