1. to take place; come to pass; occur. 2. to come to pass by chance; occur without apparent reason or design. 3. to have the fortune or lot (to do or be as specified); chance: I happened to see him on the street. 4. to befall, as to a person or thing: Don't worry; nothing happened to her.

HAPPENED definition: (of an event in time) to come about or take place; occur | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples

Simple past tense and past participle of happen. You just happened to get caught on camera. A lot had happened in the last few months. What happened to her? Hey, you'll never guess what happened tonight. Yet it was a short period of time for so much to have happened to them. Find similar words to happened using the buttons below.

Learn the meaning and correct usage of "happened". Our guide provides clear grammar rules and real-world examples from authoritative sources to help you write with confidence.

In modern usage, 'happened' emphasizes the completion of an event and often carries a connotation of chance, suggesting that occurrences are often beyond control.

Used with the impersonal subject it and a following clause or infinitive to indicate the occurrence of a usually unexpected or chance event: It happened that I was in the shower when you called.

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