befall

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled befal and befals

US /bɪˈfɔl/ UK /bɪˈfɔːl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to happen to, especially as something bad or fateful

They feared what disaster might befall the expedition.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to happen to, especially as... happen occur betide bechance transpire ensue overtake

Word family

Forms befel

Derived forms befellbefallenbefalling

Related forms fall

Simplified etymology

Befall is an Old English word. Even in Old English, fall was used literally, while befall was used figuratively to mean “happen”; the word preserves the conception of an event as something that “falls.”

Etymology

From Old English befeallan ('to fall, be deprived of'), from be- + feallan ('to fall'). The sense 'to happen to' developed from the notion of fortune 'falling upon' someone.

be- Old English feallan Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# befall

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /bɪˈfɔl/
**IPA (UK):** /bɪˈfɔːl/

## Meanings
1. to happen to, especially as something bad or fateful

## Examples
- They feared what disaster might befall the expedition.

## Synonyms
- happen
- occur
- betide
- bechance
- transpire
- ensue
- overtake

## Derived Forms
- befell
- befallen
- befalling

## Related Forms
- fall

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: be-
- Root: feallan

## Etymology
From Old English befeallan ('to fall, be deprived of'), from be- + feallan ('to fall'). The sense 'to happen to' developed from the notion of fortune 'falling upon' someone.

## AI Etymology
Befall is from Old English befeallan ('to fall, be deprived of'), from be- + feallan ('to fall'). The sense 'to happen to' developed from the notion of fortune 'falling upon' someone. Important recorded forms include be- (Old English) and feallan (Old English). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers to happen to, especially as something bad or fateful. The wider family includes derived forms such as befell, befallen, and befalling and related words such as fall.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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