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happen(verb)BrE / ˈhæpən / NAmE / ˈhæpən / - to take place, especially without being planned
- You'll never guess what's happened!
- Accidents like this happen all the time.
- Let's see what happens next week.
- I'll be there whatever happens.
- Is this really happening or is it a dream?
- I don't know how this happened.
- to take place as the result of something
- She pressed the button but nothing happened.
- What happens if nobody comes to the party?
- Just plug it in and see what happens.
- to do or be something by chance
- She happened to be out when we called.
- You don't happen to know his name, do you?
- This happens to be my favourite restaurant.
- The door happened to be unlocked.
- It happened that she was out when we called.
- used to tell somebody something, especially when you are disagreeing with them or annoyed by what they have said
- That happens to be my mother you're talking about!
- a thing or person that is very likely to cause danger or a problem in the future because of the condition it is in or the way they behave
- people say accidents will happen to tell somebody who has had an accident, for example breaking something, that it does not matter and they should not worry
- used to say that it is not possible to know what the result of something will be
- used when you say something that is surprising, or something connected with what somebody else has just said
- I agree with you, as it happens.
- As it happens, I have a spare set of keys in my office.
- if something happens
- In the event of an accident, call this number.
- Sheila will inherit everything in the event of his death.
- by chance
- It just so happened they'd been invited too.
- used to express the idea that we must accept that bad things often happen without reason
- used to tell somebody not to worry about something they have done
- ‘Sorry—I've spilt some wine.’ ‘Never mind. These things happen.’
Extra Examples- Don’t just sit back and let it happen.
- I don’t remember learning to swim, it just happened.
- Mistakes are bound to happen sometimes.
- She couldn’t quite believe that all this was actually happening to her.
- She didn’t know what was happening to her.
- Sometimes fun activities just happen spontaneously; at other times they take careful planning.
- They could only wait and see what was going to happen.
- What tends to happen is that students spend the first week of the course in a blind panic, but settle down by the second or third week.
- You have to make things happen if you want them to happen.
- Change doesn’t happen overnight.
- I don’t know how this happened.
- I’ll be there whatever happens.
- Just plug it in and see what happens.
- Let’s see what happens next week.
- She couldn’t believe that all this was actually happening.
- You’ll never guess what’s happened!
Verb Forms- present simple I / you / we / they happen
- he / she / it happens
- past simple happened
- past participle happened
- -ing form happening
Word Origin- late Middle English (superseding the verb hap): from the noun hap ‘chance’ + -en.
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