Word
happen
Phoneticshap·pen
US/ˈhæpən/
UK/hˈæpən/
Definitions
02to do by chance
v. to do something by accident or without planning it.
v. to occur or perform an action by chance; typically used in the pattern 'happen to + infinitive'.
“I happened to see your brother while I was at the supermarket.”
“If you happen to encounter any technical difficulties during the installation, please contact our support team immediately.”
Usage
Followed by a to-infinitive to indicate a coincidental action.
Synonyms
03to be trendy
v. to be very fashionable or popular at the moment.
v. to be fashionable, trendy, or exciting; often used in the present continuous to describe a scene or location.
“This new club is the most happening place in the city right now.”
“The district has transformed from an industrial wasteland into a happening hub for tech startups and independent galleries.”
Informal
Teaching tip
Usually found in the participial form 'happening' when used as an adjective.
Synonyms
04maybe
adv. a word used in some local areas to mean 'perhaps' or 'maybe'.
adv. used as a sentence adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'.
“Happen he'll come by later this evening.”
“Happen it's for the best that we didn't take the coastal road during the storm.”
Dialect · Archaic
Teaching tip
This usage is largely restricted to Northern English dialects and is rarely encountered in standard modern English.
Antonyms
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).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Idioms
accident waiting to happen — A thing or situation which is almost certain to eventually lead to an accident.
as it happens — By coincidence, incidentally.
couldn't happen to a nicer — Sarcastically asserts that those in question thoroughly deserve their fate.
happen along — To arrive by chance; to occur by happenstance.
make happen — To realize, to cause or bring about a thing.
what happens twice happens thrice — An event that happens two times will happen three times.
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/happen