Synonyms for befall
bɪˈfɔl

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. befall, bechance, betide(verb)

   become of; happen to

   "He promised that no harm would befall her"; "What has become of my children?"

   Synonyms:
   betide, bechance, happen

2. happen, befall, bechance(verb)

   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)

   Synonyms:
   encounter, betide, materialise, fall out, bump, go on, occur, pass off, materialize, bechance, hap, happen, chance, take place, find, pass, come about

English Synonyms and Antonyms(2.67 / 3 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. befall

   A thing is said to happen when no design is manifest, or none especially thought of; it is said to chance when it appears to be the result of accident (compare synonyms for ACCIDENT). An incident happens or occurs; something external or actual happens to one; a thought or fancy occurs to him. Befall and betide are transitive; happen is intransitive; something befalls or betides a person or happens to him. Betide is especially used for anticipated evil, thought of as waiting and coming at its appointed time; as, wo betide him! One event supervenes upon another event, one disease upon another, etc. ["Transpire," in the sense of happen, is not authorized by good usage: a thing that has happened is properly said to transpire when it becomes known.]

   Synonyms:
   bechance, betide, chance, come to pass, fall, fall out, happen, occur, supervene, take place

   Preposition:
   An event happens to a person; a person happens on or upon a fact, discovery, etc.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

1. befall

   Synonyms:
   happen, occur, betide, fall, supervene, bechance

   Antonyms:
   miss, pass, spare, pretermit

Dictionary of English Synonymes(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. befall(v. a.)

   Synonyms:
   betide, overtake, happen to

2. befall(v. n.)

   Synonyms:
   happen, occur, take place

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. befall(v)

   Synonyms:
   happen, supervene, betide, bechance

How to pronounce befall?

Alex

US English

Daniel

British

Karen

Australian

Veena

Indian

How to say befall in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use befall in a sentence?

1. Cicero:

   The injuries that befall us unexpectedly are less severe than those which are deliberately anticipated.

2. Godfather, The:

   Don Corleone I'm a superstitious man, and if some unlucky accident should befall Michael - if he is to be shot in the head by a police officer, or be found hung dead in a jail cell... or if he should be struck by a bolt of lightning - then I'm going to blame some of the people in this room and then I do not forgive. But with said, I pledge - on the souls of my grandchildren - that I will not be the one to break the peace that we have made today.

3. Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson:

   I hold it true, whatever befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; 'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all.

4. Dean Haydon:

   The children were paralyzed by fear of Haque, who they understood to have connections to terrorists and who essentially told them that a violent fate would befall them if they told anyone what he was doing.

5. Christopher Skaife:

   We are very, very pleased to say here at the Tower of London that we have now got four magnificent chicks, the first time they have been born at the Tower of London for over 30 years, we decided that it would be a really good idea to see if we could actually breed ravens ourselves at the Tower of London to secure our future, after all legend tells us that should the ravens leave the Tower of London it will crumble into dust and a great harm befall the kingdom.

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