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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The carrier is urging passengers with flights scheduled to depart on Wednesday to check in via United's website or mobile app on Tuesday to avoid encountering problems.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
2 Feb. 2026 -
Some posts included curious dogs encountering them.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In another document in the most recent release of the Epstein files, Google co-founder Sergey Brin emailed with Epstein’s girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, about meeting up with Epstein during a trip to New York in 2003, well before Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
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Indeed, the old regs were an indirect way of promoting electrification, as car companies stood little chance of meeting them without battery power or drastic lineup reworkings.—
Caleb Jacobs,
The Drive,
5 Feb. 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 7 Feb. 2026.
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