happen

A1 Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled appened and appens

US /ˈhæpən/ UK /ˈhæpən/ See IPA manual

Freq #387

Meanings

1

verb
To take place or occur.

Tell me exactly what happened last night.
2

verb
To do or be something by chance.

I happen to know where she lives.
3

verb
To find or meet something or someone by chance.

We happened upon a lovely little cafe in the old town.

Verb forms

happen, happened, happened

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to take place or occur. occurcome to pass

More bechance befallbelimpbetidebetimechanceeveneeventuatehap hold pass

Word family

Derived forms behappenhappenablehappenchancehappenerhappeninglymappenmishappenrehappenunhappen

Related forms happening happenstance

Appears in

Proverbs (16)

See all

Etymology

From Middle English happenen, hapnen, augmented from Middle English happen (“to come to pass, happen”), perhaps from Old English hæppan (“to move accidentally, slip”) and/or from Old Norse *happa, *heppa, from Proto-Germanic *hampijaną (“to fit in, be fitting”). Equivalent to hap (“a chance, occurrence, byfall”) + -en (verbal suffix).

happenen Middle English happen Middle English hæppan Old English *happa Old Norse *hampijaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# happen

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈhæpən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈhæpən/
**Frequency rank:** 387

## Meanings
1. To take place or occur.
2. To do or be something by chance.
3. To find or meet something or someone by chance.

## Examples
- Tell me exactly what happened last night.
- I happen to know where she lives.
- We happened upon a lovely little cafe in the old town.

## Synonyms
- bechance
- befall
- belimp
- betide
- betime
- chance
- evene
- eventuate
- hap
- hold
- occur
- pass

## Derived Forms
- behappen
- happenable
- happenchance
- happener
- happeningly
- mappen
- mishappen
- rehappen
- unhappen

## Related Forms
- happening
- happenstance

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: happenen
- Root: happen
- Root: hæppan
- Root: *happa
- Root: *hampijaną

## Etymology
From Middle English happenen, hapnen, augmented from Middle English happen (“to come to pass, happen”), perhaps from Old English hæppan (“to move accidentally, slip”) and/or from Old Norse *happa, *heppa, from Proto-Germanic *hampijaną (“to fit in, be fitting”). Equivalent to hap (“a chance, occurrence, byfall”) + -en (verbal suffix).

## AI Etymology
Happen comes from Middle English happenen, hapnen, augmented from Middle English happen (“to come to pass, happen”), perhaps from Old English hæppan (“to move accidentally, slip”) and/or from Old Norse *happa, *heppa, from Proto-Germanic *hampijaną (“to fit in, be fitting”). Equivalent to hap (“a chance, occurrence, byfall”) + -en (verbal suffix). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern verbal form is built from the named base and affix. In current use, the main senses are “To take place or occur” and “To do or be something by chance”.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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