happen to

verb

happened to; happening to; happens to
: to affect or involve (someone or something) as the result of an event or action
An odd thing happened to me on my way to the office last week.
I wonder what/whatever happened to that guy after he lost his job.
especially : to affect (someone or something) in a bad or harmful way
I promise nothing will happen to you.
What happened to the car? There's a big scratch on the fender.

Examples of happen to in a Sentence

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Then, on October 26, a member of Parliament—who happened to be the brother-in-law of one of the conspirators—received a cryptic, anonymous letter. — Lucia Barnum, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Oct. 2026 Clark and his team analyzed satellite data to see what happened to all that former forestland. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026 Irate readers called the paper to find out what happened to their beloved comic strip character. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026 Likely no detailed stories of what happened to them and why have been passed down through the generations. — Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for happen to

Rhymes for happen to

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Browse Nearby Words

happenstance
happen to
happer
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Cite this Entry

“Happen to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happen%20to. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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