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View synonyms for

befall

[ bih-fawl ]

verb (used without object)

befell, befallen, befalling.
  1. to happen or occur.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

  2. Archaic. to come, as by right.


verb (used with object)

befell, befallen, befalling.
  1. to happen to, especially by chance or fate.

befall

/ ɪˈɔː /

verb

  1. intr to take place; come to pass
  2. tr to happen to
  3. intrusually foll byto to be due, as by right
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of befall1

before 900; Middle English befallen, Old English befeallan. See be-, fall (v.)
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Word History and Origins

Origin of befall1

Old English befeallan ; related to Old High German bifallan , Dutch bevallen ; see be- , fall
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

There’s also discussion about moving around steelhead to create backup populations should calamity befall one, as well as boost genetic diversity of the rare fish.

From

I glanced over to find the mother staring into the abyss of the fridge, experiencing some premonition of what grim fate was about to befall her daughter.

From

The same fate, she suspects, could befall the "Girls Gone Bible" enterprise.

From

The witches are thus active instruments in the fate that befalls Macbeth, making him somewhat more of a puppet of their otherworldly mischief than a closer reading of the text might bear out.

From

The precedents I have in mind rose and fell on elements of “human nature” that also drive what’s befalling us now.

From

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bef.befit