as in to encounter
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face
happened upon the hotel manager in the lobby and promptly complained about the room
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happen (upon)
Verb
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Jessica Purcell, assistant professor in the department of entomology at the University of California, Riverside, has encountered Iberian harvester ants while studying other ant species in Italy.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025 -
Once released, many encounter stigma from employers, landlords, and even their communities, which fosters rejection and shame.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An anime about a teenager avenging the deaths of his family at the hands of hordes of carnivorous demons wouldn’t usually be the sort of film which would be met with unanimous praise from critics.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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At first, the poster was happy to meet someone new and even adjusted the reservation to make space.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
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“Happen (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happen%20%28upon%29. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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