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   Hap·pen

   /ˈhapən/

   

   verb

   • 1. take place; occur: "two hours had passed and still nothing had happened" Similar occurtake placecome aboutcome offcome into beingensueresulttranspirematerializearisebecrop upcome upfall outpan outturn outfollowdevelopemergesurfacepresent itselfsuperveneinformal:go downliterary:come to passbetidechancerare:eventuatehap
   • ▪ ensue as an effect or result of an action or event: "this is what happens when the mechanism goes wrong"
   • ▪ chance to do something or come about: "we just happened to meet Paul"
   • ▪ come about by chance: "it just so happened that she turned up that afternoon" Similar chancehave the good/bad/ill fortunehave the good/bad/ill luckbe someone's fortune/misfortune
   • ▪ used as a polite formula in questions: "do you happen to know who her doctor is?"
   • 2. find or come across by chance: "Mike played football as a boy and happened on cycling by accident" Similar discover unexpectedlyfind unexpectedlyfind by chancechance onstumble onhit onlight oncome oncome acrossrun acrossblunder onunearthuncoverlocatebring to lightmeet by chancerun intoencounterinformal:bump intodig uparchaic:run against
   • 3. be experienced by (someone); befall: "the same thing happened to me" Similar become ofbe the fate ofbe the lot ofovertakebe visited onliterary:befallbetide
   • ▪ become of: "I don't care what happens to the money" Similar become ofbe the fate ofbe the lot ofovertakebe visited onliterary:befallbetide

   Word Origin late Middle English (superseding the verb hap): from the noun hap1 + -en1.

   Scrabble Points: 13

   • H

     4

   • A

     1

   • P

     3

   • P

     3

   • E

     1

   • N

     1

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