happened

past tense of happen

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 when a famous author sneaks into town and a body is found in his penthouse apartment, cunning fox investigator Vera Vixen must piece together what happened. Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025 Craft opened up about what happened on the agreement that the name of the zoo involved be omitted from the story. Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025 The question now is whether what happened in Madagascar will be repeated elsewhere on the continent. Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025 The mass killings happened within 15 minutes, and each of the family members was found lying in the same position. Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025 Shohei Ohtani did something that has never happened before in the annals of postseason baseball. Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 18 Oct. 2025 Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week. Griselda Flores, Billboard, 18 Oct. 2025 Still, the best sports car ever made couldn’t have happened without the 911 SC, and the 911 SC recovered by SFPD deserves a better shot at life from here on out. Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2025 And the same hasn’t happened in England. Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happened
Verb
  • The arrest occurred during a break at a hearing regarding ex-wife Denise Richards' restraining order against him.
    Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
  • However, a backstage attack occurred with a piece of equipment that was dropped on Fatu, resulting in his removal from the match due to a bloody injury.
    Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
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
  • But one scholar, Anthony Grafton, who about thirty years ago published Forgers and Critics, focused on how in the early modern period, there was this enormous flourishing not only of culture but also of liars.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
  • There was a chill in the air, but for Liverpool’s midfielder, newly arrived from Spain, the real culture shock was what happened on the pitch.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
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

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Cite this Entry

“Happened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happened. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

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