Meanings
verbhappen on (third-person singular simple present happens on, present participle happening on, simple past and past participle happened on)
present singular third person happens on · participle present happening on · participle past happened on · past happened on
- to find by chance
Yesterday I happened on the solution while we were seeing a movie on the couch; such things just happen along, by sheer happenstance.
Synonyms: chance upon, come across, stumble upon, alight
Synonyms & antonyms
verbto find by chance
Also see
Cite this entry
APA
happen on. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/happen%20on
MLA
“happen on.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/happen%20on. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “happen on,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/happen%20on.
Source: happen on on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.