happen
verb [ I ]
uk/ˈhæpən/ usto exist or begin to exist because of an action, situation, or event:
The one course of events no one anticipated was the one that happened: a long period of stagnation that threatened the assumptions of the European welfare state.
The market highs have provided an impetus for companies to sell their shares before investors lose interest, which often happens during a holiday week.
to be done or exist by chance:
What happens in one country or region may not happen in another.
happen by accident/chance "The state's economic vitality has not happened by accident," he said.
happen to sb/sth
to affect someone or something in a way that changes something:
Everywhere I go people are becoming more and more depressed by what is happening to their savings.
happen overnight
to be done or come into existence suddenly:
did not/may not/will not happen overnight This crisis didn't happen overnight.