as in encountering
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happening (upon)
Verb
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For some classes, participants are invited to harvest herbs from the Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden, encountering firsthand the seed-to-plate process.—
Nicole Schnitzler,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026 -
At a time of widespread angst over runaway ticket prices, merely encountering something novel at a concert isn’t enough for many to justify the cost of getting in the door, particularly when superstars like Taylor Swift and SZA are on the road showing that innovation and value can coexist.—
Vanessa Franko,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Attendees could also check out who else was single in the audience using the Next Fun Thing’s dating app, which facilitates meeting people IRL at the event company’s activities, from speed dating to kickball.—
Brittany Levine Beckman,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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The shipman embarked on Sunday for an over 48-hour journey that would take him from the Iraqi port where his vessel was anchored to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, before finally meeting his wife and parents in his hometown of Mumbai.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Happening (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happening%20%28upon%29. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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