Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Happen
Hap′pen
(hăp′p’n)
, Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Happened
(-p’nd)
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Happening
.] 1.
To come by chance; to come without previous expectation; to fall out.
There shall no evil
happen
to the just. Prov. xii. 21.
2.
To take place; to occur.
All these things which had
happened
. Luke xxiv. 14.
To happen on
, to meet with; to fall or light upon.
“I have happened on some other accounts.” Graunt.
– To happen in
, to make a casual call.
[Colloq.]
Webster 1828 Edition
Happen
HAP'PEN
,Verb.
I.
1.
To come by chance; to come without one's previous expectation; to fall out. There shall no evil happen to the just. Prov.12.
2.
To come; to befall. They talked together of all those things which had happened. Luke 24.
3.
To light; to fall or come unexpectedly. I have happened on some other accounts relating to mortalities.
Definition 2024
Happen
Happen
happen
happen
See also: Happen
English
Verb
happen (third-person singular simple present happens, present participle happening, simple past and past participle happened)
- To occur or take place.
- 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:
- Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic who still resists the idea that something drastic needs to happen for him to turn his life around.
- Let me tell you how it happened.
-
- To occur unexpectedly, by chance or with a low probability.
- Take an umbrella in case it happens to rain.
- Do you happen to have an umbrella?
- (followed by on or upon) To encounter by chance.
- 1860, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun, ch. 30:
- Unexpectedly, in a nook close by the farmhouse, he happened upon a spot where the vintage had actually commenced.
- 1860, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun, ch. 30:
Usage notes
- This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs
Synonyms
- (To occur or take place): come to pass
Derived terms
Terms derived from happen
|
Related terms
Translations
to occur
|
|
Adverb
happen (not comparable)
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɦɑpə(n)/
Verb
happen
- to take a bite
Inflection
| Inflection of happen (weak) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | happen | |||
| past singular | hapte | |||
| past participle | gehapt | |||
| infinitive | happen | |||
| gerund | happen n | |||
| verbal noun | — | |||
| present tense | past tense | |||
| 1st person singular | hap | hapte | ||
| 2nd person sing. (jij) | hapt | hapte | ||
| 2nd person sing. (u) | hapt | hapte | ||
| 2nd person sing. (gij) | hapt | hapte | ||
| 3rd person singular | hapt | hapte | ||
| plural | happen | hapten | ||
| subjunctive sing.1 | happe | hapte | ||
| subjunctive plur.1 | happen | hapten | ||
| imperative sing. | hap | |||
| imperative plur.1 | hapt | |||
| participles | happend | gehapt | ||
| 1) Archaic. | ||||
Noun
happen
- Plural form of hap