happened (upon)

verb

past tense of happen (upon)
as in encountered
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face happened upon the hotel manager in the lobby and promptly complained about the room

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for happened (upon)
  1. encountered
  2. met
Verb
  • The crew made sure the water level wasn’t high enough to slosh around the inside of the aircraft, in case the plane encountered turbulence.
    — Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Reporters encountered zero officers during a two-and-a-half hour ride through uptown and South End last Saturday.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of encountered
Verb
  • On Sunday, Roman Goffman, the chief of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, met again with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Jordan to ease the latest tensions, according to the Syrian state news agency.
    — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The Fils-Tiafoe match was the first time two Black players have met in an ATP Masters 1000 final.
    — Jeff Wallner, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of met
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.

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happened (on or upon)
happened (upon)
happening
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Cite this Entry

“Happened (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happened%20%28upon%29. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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