as in found
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance
happened on the filming of a movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happened (on or upon)
Verb
-
Dolores Huerta, 95, who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) Union with Chavez, has accused him of raping her twice.—
Steve Large,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026 -
Port Harcourt was founded in 1913 and governed by the military, the police, and by courts that upheld colonial law to protect British commercial interests and missionaries.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While heading for resupply before its next escort mission, the frigate encountered a minefield laid by Iran the night before, according to Cox.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
-
City officials said crews encountered unexpected conditions while removing aging infrastructure inside the pool, requiring additional time and specialized equipment.—
Faith Bugenhagen,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Happened (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happened%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
