as in occurred
to take place
did anything exciting happen over the summer?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
But, funnily enough, losing to Halifax might have been the best thing that happened because Ben Tozer stood up in the dressing room and gave it to everyone.
—
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The incident happened in Crofton as a volunteer for Councilman Pete Smith was canvassing in a neighborhood.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
An exhaustive investigation has highlighted how the crash happened after years of warnings and near collisions.
—Emma Hurt, AJC.com, 19 Feb. 2026
The arrest happened early in the morning of February 19, and reportedly, King Charles was not given a heads-up about it.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 19 Feb. 2026
The water reaching the Lower Basin will probably fall below that point later this year or next, which has never happened, said Brenda Burman, general manager of the Central Arizona Project.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Most have found their way, educated themselves, and shaken off horrible memories, negative self-images, and bad relationships that happened for the wrong reasons.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Another encounter happened in late January, while on a dive with Woods and friend Fischer Franczyk.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
That’s what happened when he got benched late last season.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The incident happened in Crofton as a volunteer for Councilman Pete Smith was canvassing in a neighborhood.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
An exhaustive investigation has highlighted how the crash happened after years of warnings and near collisions.
—Emma Hurt, AJC.com, 19 Feb. 2026
The arrest happened early in the morning of February 19, and reportedly, King Charles was not given a heads-up about it.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 19 Feb. 2026
The water reaching the Lower Basin will probably fall below that point later this year or next, which has never happened, said Brenda Burman, general manager of the Central Arizona Project.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Most have found their way, educated themselves, and shaken off horrible memories, negative self-images, and bad relationships that happened for the wrong reasons.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Another encounter happened in late January, while on a dive with Woods and friend Fischer Franczyk.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
That’s what happened when he got benched late last season.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happened
Verb
-
But a second incident occurred on January 10, when a family member of a person detained by ICE experienced a medical emergency related to a heart condition.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
One that occurred on the edge of the national park in 2017 killed more than 1,000 people in 2017.—
ED DAVEY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 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
-
Thaksin has denied there was such a deal.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
In fact, for the first nearly 2 billion years of Earth’s history, there was no appreciable oxygen in the planet’s atmosphere at all.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
17 Feb. 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 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
