happened

past tense of happen

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 happened This year, that refill never happened. Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 26 June 2026 Martinez has shared a different version of what happened. Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026 Seriously, that almost happened twice. Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 26 June 2026 The shooting happened in the 18900 block of Rosemont Avenue. Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 26 June 2026 Confirming what happened on the ground could be tricky amid the damage. Kasha Patel, CNN Money, 25 June 2026 That’s not exactly what happened (Alert… spoilers to follow). Adam Frank, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 The shootings happened Tuesday evening at I-670 and Wyoming Street, I-70 and Paseo Boulevard, I-70 and Prospect Avenue, and at Truman Road and Hardesty Avenue, police have said. Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 19 June 2026 Ultimately that's exactly what happened. Liz McNeil, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happened
Verb
  • The bicentennial occurred during an election year, with all the partisan denunciations that entails (though when Jimmy Carter narrowly beat Ford, no one thought of contesting the results).
    Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • When there is a death in jail, the Sheriff's Office notifies the county, then the commissioner court’s members receive a communication that a death has occurred in custody or jail.
    Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • That came just a few days after news broke that Palantir had secured a $10 billion contract from the US Army over the next decade.
    Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
  • All five of Bednar’s outs came via strikeout on Wednesday.
    Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The ruling did not address whether there was enough cause to remove Cook, based on the fraud allegations brought forth by the administration.
    Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
  • Police said, according to WBNS, that there was a history of domestic violence in the relationship, and it is believed to be the cause of Creech's death.
    Michael Guise, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday, nor did HUD officials.
    Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Wisconsin Republicans did the same last year, and similar efforts have been raised in other states.
    Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Happened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happened. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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