happened (upon)

verb

past tense of happen (upon)
as in encountered
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face happened upon the hotel manager in the lobby and promptly complained about the room

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for happened (upon)
  1. encountered
  2. met
Verb
  • This is one of the most difficult and heartbreaking scenes our officers and investigators have ever encountered.
    — Michael Sinkewicz , Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • For inspiration, Carney looks to old films, documentaries, travel and art encountered in person rather than online.
    — Viv Chen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of encountered
Verb
  • Sheffield then met Tamboran’s CEO at the time, Alabama native Joel Riddle.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The controversy has dominated WNBA press rooms so much that the league formed a task force of general managers and team presidents who met in August to discuss trans athletes, but ultimately did not update any eligibility rules.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of met
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

happened (on or upon)
happened (upon)
happening
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Cite this Entry

“Happened (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happened%20%28upon%29. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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