Synonyms for happen
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Occur
occur, come about, take place, come to pass, come, go on, transpire, eventuate, pass off, hap formal dated, eventualize rare, eventualise UK
Other
materialize UK US, materialise UK
Definitions
- v. 1
To occur or take place.
Let me tell you how it happened.
- v. 2
To do or occur by chance or unexpectedly.
Do you happen to have an umbrella?
- v. 3
To encounter by chance.
Related words
- Word family
- happenable happenchance happening happenstance
- Phrases
- happen upon happen on happen across happen by these things happen
- Is a kind of
- exist
Forms
- Past participle
- happened
e.g. happened → occurred, comen, transpired, eventuated…
Choose the right word
A thing is said to happen when no design is manifest, or none especially thought of; it is said to chance when it appears to be the result of accident (compare synonyms for ACCIDENT). Befall and betide are transitive; happen is intransitive; something befalls or betides a person or happens to him.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- occur There is no telling when an earthquake will occur.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| happen | rising | |
| occur | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- hap1
- 4 letters
- come1, find1, fall1, bump1
- 5 letters
- occur2
- 6 letters
- chance1, befall2, betide2
- 8 letters
- bechance
- 9 letters
- encounter3, transpire3, eventuate
- 11 letters
- materialize5, materialise, eventualize, eventualise
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (occur2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- se passer
- Italiano
- avere luogo
- Español
- pasarse