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
Whale, and later fellow directors Franc Rodman, Branagh and now Gyllenhaal, imagined what might have happened if Frankenstein had completed the female monster.
—
Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026
When Sneaky Snook in his mail truck happened upon the wreckage near the boundary of Meredith Downs, sheep were scattered along the roadside and the fence, bleating, dazed.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Hegseth had said the deadly incident happened when an incoming munition hit a tactical operations center in Kuwait.
—Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
The change happened in part because of the arrival of a mid-April transfer portal window that opened as most teams were closing spring practice.
—Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
And that’s exactly what happened.
—Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
But on October 12, 2025, something different happened.
—Justin Salhani, The Dial, 5 Mar. 2026
My family didn’t even know what happened.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
When asked about the incident after video of people throwing snowballs at NYPD officers went viral, Mamdani downplayed what happened.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026
When Sneaky Snook in his mail truck happened upon the wreckage near the boundary of Meredith Downs, sheep were scattered along the roadside and the fence, bleating, dazed.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Hegseth had said the deadly incident happened when an incoming munition hit a tactical operations center in Kuwait.
—Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
The change happened in part because of the arrival of a mid-April transfer portal window that opened as most teams were closing spring practice.
—Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
And that’s exactly what happened.
—Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
But on October 12, 2025, something different happened.
—Justin Salhani, The Dial, 5 Mar. 2026
My family didn’t even know what happened.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
When asked about the incident after video of people throwing snowballs at NYPD officers went viral, Mamdani downplayed what happened.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happened
Verb
-
The earthquake's epicenter was located approximately 25 miles south of Qualeys Camp and occurred at a depth of 11 miles.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Brown’s function occurred during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 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
-
All five of Bednar’s outs came via strikeout on Wednesday.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
There was an array of local snacks and drinks in the fridge, plus local coffee and tea.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
-
There was no immediate White House comment.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 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
-
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 12 Mar. 2026.
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