as in occurred
to take place
did anything exciting happen over the summer?
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of happened
Except that is not what happened.
—
Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Police said the fatal confrontation happened next to a weed truck parked across from a gas station.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 15 May 2026
Document and report everything To recover from identity theft, document what happened and report it to the appropriate authorities.
—Miranda Marquit, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 May 2026
Authorities say the deadly violence happened on the popular Atlanta walking and biking trail on the 1700 block of Flagler Avenue NE, just north of the Montgomery Ferry overpass, slightly after noon.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 14 May 2026
The fossils were first discovered by a local resident in 2016 and initial excavation happened between then and 2019, but then funding dried up.
—James Doubek, NPR, 14 May 2026
The snorkeling session happened one day after Patel stopped in Wellington to open the FBI’s first standalone office in New Zealand.
—Jim Mustian, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 7, according to the Tribune’s archives.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2026
Following the second incident in August, Doe’s mother received a call from KidsTLC saying that their daughter was hospitalized but staff didn’t know what happened.
—Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2026
Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Police said the fatal confrontation happened next to a weed truck parked across from a gas station.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 15 May 2026
Document and report everything To recover from identity theft, document what happened and report it to the appropriate authorities.
—Miranda Marquit, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 May 2026
Authorities say the deadly violence happened on the popular Atlanta walking and biking trail on the 1700 block of Flagler Avenue NE, just north of the Montgomery Ferry overpass, slightly after noon.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 14 May 2026
The fossils were first discovered by a local resident in 2016 and initial excavation happened between then and 2019, but then funding dried up.
—James Doubek, NPR, 14 May 2026
The snorkeling session happened one day after Patel stopped in Wellington to open the FBI’s first standalone office in New Zealand.
—Jim Mustian, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 7, according to the Tribune’s archives.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2026
Following the second incident in August, Doe’s mother received a call from KidsTLC saying that their daughter was hospitalized but staff didn’t know what happened.
—Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happened
Verb
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All of the passengers survived the crash, which occurred roughly 80 miles from the Florida coast Tuesday, according to officials.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
14 May 2026
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The play occurred early in the game as the Fever held a two-point lead.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 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
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While tapping away on my laptop, there was another type of tap on my shoulder.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
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Surely there was a time earlier in your life when your financial picture wasn’t so stable.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
12 May 2026
Verb
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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 16 May. 2026.
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