as in occurred
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 happened
The big battle of the season happened at Rook’s Rest, where Princess Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys were killed by Aemond and his dragon Vhagar while fighting Aegon and his dragon Sunfyre.
—
Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 19 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
The incident happened as a beach hazard statement was in effect for coastal areas across Northern California.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 18 June 2026
The question invites men to explain their parenting not as something that simply happened, but as a series of choices.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 18 June 2026
Just seeing this progress, that everything happened, can't really be put in words.
—Mason Leib, ABC News, 18 June 2026
Ultimately that's exactly what happened.
—Liz McNeil, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026
That’s exactly what’s happened with these.
—Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 June 2026
What happened that day at the lake?
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 19 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
The incident happened as a beach hazard statement was in effect for coastal areas across Northern California.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 18 June 2026
The question invites men to explain their parenting not as something that simply happened, but as a series of choices.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 18 June 2026
Just seeing this progress, that everything happened, can't really be put in words.
—Mason Leib, ABC News, 18 June 2026
Ultimately that's exactly what happened.
—Liz McNeil, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026
That’s exactly what’s happened with these.
—Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 June 2026
What happened that day at the lake?
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happened
Verb
-
As with most investigations of this scale and complexity, the investigation and review of evidence has continued long after the initial incident occurred.—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
-
Koné was in straight shock when the injury occurred, holding his leg at first and then placing his hands on his head.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
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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
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All five of Bednar’s outs came via strikeout on Wednesday.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
During the morning low tide, while there was still a small stretch of sand, excavators were working to pile large rip-rap boulders next to the base of the crumbling Pacifica Pier.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
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While there was movement on the bases for both starters, the game lulled until the seventh.—
Liana Handler
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
16 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
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The two men then said Smollett paid them to stage the attack, and Smollett was charged with filing a false police report; the charges were later dropped after Smollett paid a fine and did community service.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Happened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happened. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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