as in to find
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance
happened on the filming of a movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happen (on or upon)
Verb
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Currently on a six-game winning streak and 11 wins in 12 games, the Celtics suddenly find themselves with a legitimate chance to catch the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025 -
Overall, the analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records found that fatalities on the thousands of local roads in the nine-county Bay Area reached a 20-year high of 503 in 2022 after having declined from 456 in 2002 to 361 in 2012.—
Jovi Dai,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In 2003, a German graduate student named Britta Späth encountered the McKay conjecture, one of the biggest open problems in the mathematical realm known as group theory.—
Leila Sloman,
WIRED,
23 Mar. 2025
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After college, the Florida native encountered her first hurdle at the gates of medical schools.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Or even come across the Creature of the Black Lagoon fresh out of the water?—
Samantha Neely,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
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The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) reported on Monday that 3-year-old Ziv Nitzan came across a 3,800-year-old Canaanite amulet back in March.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Happen (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happen%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.
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