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
Much has happened since, when the Hornets trudged out of Madison Square Garden with a 6-16 mark.
—
Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2026
The initial rally happened on June 14, a week after the uptick in immigration enforcement operations in LA County.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
So please open your eyes and look at what’s happened in Iran.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
The incident happened at night, and there was no one on the bus, but the original video sparked a wave of fake content.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Indeed, there were no first-round wins by teams seeded 13 through 16 for the second straight year; that happened just once between 2008 and 2024.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 26 Mar. 2026
What happened in years like this one?
—Greg Porter, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Mar. 2026
Explain what happened between you and your brother.
—Jeanne Phillips, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
Police were called and are looking into what happened, reports said, with circumstances around Wright’s death remaining unclear.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2026
The initial rally happened on June 14, a week after the uptick in immigration enforcement operations in LA County.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
So please open your eyes and look at what’s happened in Iran.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
The incident happened at night, and there was no one on the bus, but the original video sparked a wave of fake content.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Indeed, there were no first-round wins by teams seeded 13 through 16 for the second straight year; that happened just once between 2008 and 2024.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 26 Mar. 2026
What happened in years like this one?
—Greg Porter, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Mar. 2026
Explain what happened between you and your brother.
—Jeanne Phillips, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
Police were called and are looking into what happened, reports said, with circumstances around Wright’s death remaining unclear.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happened
Verb
-
According to the criminal complaint, about 100 people were in the rec center when the shooting occurred, which followed a fight involving some girls.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The shooting occurred, a police probable cause statement said, after Kirsten Wells was walking her dog and, on her path up the street, saw that the engine of one of King’s vehicle was running near his yard.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 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
-
With the Iran war in its fifth week, attacks in the Middle East continued and there was still no clear end to the war.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
There was consensus on protecting the victims.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
31 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 2 Apr. 2026.
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