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happened (on or upon)

verb

past tense of happen (on or upon)
as in found
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance happened on the filming of a movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for happened (on or upon)
  1. found
  2. encountered
Verb
  • Hayley Williams is speaking out days after her ex-husband, Chad Gilbert, the founding guitarist of pop-punk band New Found Glory, died at 45 following a battle with cancer.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Dentsu was founded in 1901 in Tokyo and now has a footprint spanning 120 countries and territories.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of found
Verb
  • Police bodycam footage shown to jurors Friday gave them a glimpse into the Flynns’ home as more officers rushed inside and encountered Flynn kneeling in the dining room.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
  • That is exactly what runner Becca Ostien encountered near Lincoln Park.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of encountered
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 (by)
happened (on or upon)
happened (upon)
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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 26 Sep. 2026.

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