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Contents
happen definition
Overview
This page has 7 definitions of happen in English and Dutch, Flemish. Happen is a verb, an adverb and noun. Examples of how to use happen in a sentence are shown. Also define these 0 related words and terms: .
See also: Happen
English happen definition
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).
Pronunciation
Verb
happen (third-person singular simple present happens, present participle happening, simple past and past participle happened)
- (intransitive) To occur or take place.
- Synonyms: come to pass; see also Thesaurus:happen
- 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:
- Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic who still resists the idea that something drastic needs to happen for him to turn his life around.
- Let me tell you how it happened.
- (transitive, archaic) To happen to; to befall.
- 1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:
- 'By my soul! I believe something bad has happened me,' he muttered, and popped up his window, and looked out, half dreaming over the church-yard on the park beyond […]
- (intransitive or impersonal, with infinitive) To do or occur by chance or unexpectedly.
- Take an umbrella in case it happens to rain.
- Do you happen to have an umbrella?
- I happened to get wet.
- (followed by on or upon) To encounter by chance.
- 1860, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun, ch. 30:
- Unexpectedly, in a nook close by the farmhouse, he happened upon a spot where the vintage had actually commenced.
- 1860, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun, ch. 30:
Usage notes
- In the sense which indicates a chance occurrence, happen is a catenative verb that takes the to-infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs
Derived terms
Terms derived from happen
- happeningly
- if it happens, it happens
- it so happens
- shit happens
Related terms
Translations
to occur
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to occur by chance, unexpectedly
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Adverb
happen (not comparable)
- (obsolete or dialect) maybe, perhaps.
- (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)
Dutch happen definition
Etymology
Pronunciation
Verb
happen
- to take a bite
Inflection
| Inflection of happen (weak) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | happen | |||
| past singular | hapte | |||
| past participle | gehapt | |||
| infinitive | happen | |||
| gerund | happen n | |||
| present tense | past tense | |||
| 1st person singular | hap | hapte | ||
| 2nd person sing. (jij) | hapt | hapte | ||
| 2nd person sing. (u) | hapt | hapte | ||
| 2nd person sing. (gij) | hapt | hapte | ||
| 3rd person singular | hapt | hapte | ||
| plural | happen | hapten | ||
| subjunctive sing.1 | happe | hapte | ||
| subjunctive plur.1 | happen | hapten | ||
| imperative sing. | hap | |||
| imperative plur.1 | hapt | |||
| participles | happend | gehapt | ||
| 1) Archaic. | ||||
Descendants
- → Papiamentu: hap
Noun
happen
- Plural form of hap