befall

verb

be·​fall bi-ˈfȯl 

bē-

befell bi-ˈfel 

bē-

; befallen bi-ˈfȯ-lən 

bē-

intransitive verb

: to happen especially as if by fate

transitive verb

: to happen to

the fate that befell them

Synonyms

• be
• betide
• chance
• come
• come about
• come down
• come off
• cook
• do
• go down [slang]
• go on
• hap
• happen
• occur
• pass
• transpire

Examples of befall in a Sentence

It's sad to think of the unhappy fate that befell him.

The drought was only one of many hardships to befall the small country.

Recent Examples on the Web

Does Catherine deserve the fate that’s befallen her? —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Nov. 2024

The fumbled token launch, then, is the latest in a series of mishaps and snafus to befall the World Liberty Financial project. —Joel Khalili, WIRED, 16 Oct. 2024

Emily cannot turn off her work brain and plots on how to score Air France as a client (not a bad idea; is Emily getting smarter?!?), only for the inevitable to befall her: The flight is canceled. —Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2024

But he’s also had trouble getting the next generation of 1017 off the ground because jail or prison terms have befallen so many of his recent signees. —Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English befallen, going back to Old English befeallan (parallel to Old High German bifallan "to fall"), from be- be- + feallan "to fall entry 1"

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

befall

verb

be·​fall bi-ˈfȯl 

befell -ˈfel  ; befallen -ˈfȯ-lən  ; befalling

1

: to take place : happen

2

: to happen to