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

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Two other pilots who happened to be traveling on the flight then took over and were able to safely land the plane at the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026 Another woman who happened to be watching the feed saw the assault and took pictures and wrote about it in a journal, police said. — Meg Kinnard, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026 As fans in the comments pointed out, whoever happened to find Esmeralda pretty much struck gold, as far as luxury handbags go. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026 What happens to your privacy when Siri moves into your house? — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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