Happen Meaning
/ˈhæpən/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo occur or take place.
verbTo happen to; to befall.
Sentence Examples
Let's consider the worst that could happen.
I didn't want this to happen.
It is reasonable to assume that he knew beforehand that this would happen.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Accidents can ____ even when you are careful and attentive.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I don't know what will ____ next, but I'm excited to see where this journey takes us.
Word Origin & History
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).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:
"'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 […]"
— 1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:
"Unexpectedly, in a nook close by the farmhouse, he happened upon a spot where the vintage had actually commenced."
— 1860, Nathaniel Hawthorne, chapter 30, in The Marble Faun:
"Yeah, well happen if he'd gone quietly, she wouldn't have needed to show him who's in charge."
— 2016, Sally Wainwright, Happy Valley, spoken by Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), Manchester: Red Production Company; distributed by BBC Studios, published 2016:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Accidents can ____ even when you are careful and attentive.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I don't know what will ____ next, but I'm excited to see where this journey takes us.