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

But one marquee victory and the avoidance of bad losses seemingly would be enough — enough to get them off the bubble, enough to erase the doubt and enough to side-step the fate that befell BYU in a different sport two months ago. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2025

Whether the same fate will befall Joe Biden remains to be seen. —Douglas Brinkley, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2025

And that’s confirmed by the final chapter, which sucks the air out of the fairytale and absolves God of the misery that befalls these characters. —Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 28 Dec. 2024

In fact, the California counties most deeply affected according to the Senate dataset were in northern and inland parts of the state — suggesting the fate that has befallen Southern California could someday be replicated elsewhere in the state. —Rob Wile, NBC News, 14 Jan. 2025

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