Definitions for happen
ˈhæp ənhap·pen

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. happen, hap, go on, pass off, occur, pass, fall out, come about, take place(verb)

   come to pass

   "What is happening?"; "The meeting took place off without an incidence"; "Nothing occurred that seemed important"

2. happen, befall, bechance(verb)

   happen, occur, or be the case in the course of events or by chance

   "It happens that today is my birthday"; "These things befell" (Santayana)

3. happen(verb)

   chance to be or do something, without intention or causation

   "I happen to have just what you need!"

4. happen, materialize, materialise(verb)

   come into being; become reality

   "Her dream really materialized"

5. find, happen, chance, bump, encounter(verb)

   come upon, as if by accident; meet with

   "We find this idea in Plato"; "I happened upon the most wonderful bakery not very far from here"; "She chanced upon an interesting book in the bookstore the other day"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. happen(Verb)

   To occur or take place.

   Let me tell you how it happened.

   Etymology: From happenen

2. happen(Verb)

   To occur unexpectedly, by chance or with a low probability.

   Take an umbrella in case it happens to rain.

   Etymology: From happenen

3. happen(Verb)

   To encounter by chance.

   Etymology: From happenen

4. happen(Adverb)

   maybe, perhaps.

   Etymology: From happenen

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Happen(verb)

   to come by chance; to come without previous expectation; to fall out

   Etymology: [OE. happenen, hapnen. See Hap to happen.]

2. Happen(verb)

   to take place; to occur

   Etymology: [OE. happenen, hapnen. See Hap to happen.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. happen

   To occur.

   The creation of peace is happening as we speak all around the world.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 16, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'happen' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1376

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'happen' in Written Corpus Frequency: #552

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'happen' in Verbs Frequency: #64

How to pronounce happen?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say happen in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of happen in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of happen in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of happen in a Sentence

1. Omar Samra:

   For 13 hours we were in their shoes, we only experienced a fraction of what refugees go through and these things happen on a weekly basis.

2. Raja Krishnamoorthi:

   Certainly, I think the president does want this total absolute exoneration, in all caps, to happen, ASAP. And I think that perhaps, Mitch McConnell or four Republican senators would join with Democrats to call for a fair process.

3. Kurt Brunner:

   What you're seeing is a recognition that this is going to happen and investors are getting more comfortable with it, there's a recognition that economic growth is okay.

4. Laurie Levenson:

   I've never seen this happen before.

5. Fran Lebowitz:

   Girls who put out are tramps. Girls who don't are ladies. This is, however, a rather archaic usage of the word. Should one of you boys happen upon a girl who doesn't put out, do not jump to the conclusion that you have found a lady. What you have probably found is a lesbian.

Images & Illustrations of happen

Popularity rank by frequency of use