befall
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be·fall
(bĭ-fôl′)v. be·fell (-fĕl′), be·fall·en (-fô′lən), be·fall·ing, be·falls
v.intr.
To come to pass; happen: What is the worst that may befall?
v.tr.
1. Used with the impersonal subject it and a following clause to indicate the occurrence of a usually unexpected or chance event: "It befell that, an hour before the appointed time, she was sent for by a neighbor who had been taken ill" (Henry James).
2. To happen to: What befell the ship? See Synonyms at happen.
[Middle English bifallen, from Old English befeallan, to fall.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
befall
(bɪˈfɔːl)vb, -falls, -falling, -fell or -fallen
1. (intr) to take place; come to pass
2. (tr) to happen to
3. (usually foll by: to) to be due, as by right
[Old English befeallan; related to Old High German bifallan, Dutch bevallen; see be-, fall]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
be•fall
(bɪˈfɔl)v. -fell, -fall•en, -fall•ing. v.t.
1. to happen to, esp. by chance.
v.i. 2. to happen or occur.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English befeallan]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
befall
Past participle: befallen
Gerund: befalling
| Imperative |
|---|
| befall |
| befall |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Verb | 1. | befall - become of; happen to; "He promised that no harm would befall her"; "What has become of my children?" hap, happen, occur, come about, take place, go on, pass off, fall out, pass - come to pass; "What is happening?"; "The meeting took place off without an incidence"; "Nothing occurred that seemed important" |
| 2. | befall - happen, occur, or be the case in the course of events or by chance; "It happens that today is my birthday"; "These things befell" (Santayana) hap, happen, occur, come about, take place, go on, pass off, fall out, pass - come to pass; "What is happening?"; "The meeting took place off without an incidence"; "Nothing occurred that seemed important" happen - chance to be or do something, without intention or causation; "I happen to have just what you need!" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
befall
verb (Archaic or literary) happen to, fall upon, occur in, take place in, ensue in, transpire in (informal), materialize in, come to pass in the disaster that befell the island of Flores
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
befall
verb1. To take place:
Idiom: come to pass.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَحْدُث لِ، يَقَعُ لِ
postihnoutpřihodit se
hænderamme
koma fyrir, henda
ištikti
atgadītiesnotikt
başına gelmek
befall
[bɪˈfɔːl] (befell (pt) (befallen (pp))) (liter)Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
befall
(biˈfoːl) – past tense befell (biˈfel) : past participle beˈfallen – verb to happen to (a person or thing). A disaster has befallen her.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.