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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for happened (upon)
  1. encountered
  2. met
Verb
  • The government leases only 48,000 square feet and 29 parking spots in the 350,000-square-foot property, and the lease does not extend to the place where prosecutors say Morrow and Stanley encountered officers, the defense attorneys maintain.
    — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Officers arrived and encountered the boy with his mother before he was taken to the Bimini Community Clinic for medical attention, authorities said.
    — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
Definition of encountered
Verb
  • Both men sat in opposite corners afterward before Reigns walked to the center and offered a fist, and Rollins met it.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Last August, the International Association of Genocide Scholars passed a resolution declaring that Israel’s actions met the legal definition of genocide.
    — Arielle Kaden, New York Daily News, 3 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.

Browse Nearby Words

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 6 Aug. 2026.

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