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 |
| Present |
|---|
| I befall |
| you befall |
| he/she/it befalls |
| we befall |
| you befall |
| they befall |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I befell |
| you befell |
| he/she/it befell |
| we befell |
| you befell |
| they befell |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am befalling |
| you are befalling |
| he/she/it is befalling |
| we are befalling |
| you are befalling |
| they are befalling |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have befallen |
| you have befallen |
| he/she/it has befallen |
| we have befallen |
| you have befallen |
| they have befallen |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was befalling |
| you were befalling |
| he/she/it was befalling |
| we were befalling |
| you were befalling |
| they were befalling |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had befallen |
| you had befallen |
| he/she/it had befallen |
| we had befallen |
| you had befallen |
| they had befallen |
| Future |
|---|
| I will befall |
| you will befall |
| he/she/it will befall |
| we will befall |
| you will befall |
| they will befall |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have befallen |
| you will have befallen |
| he/she/it will have befallen |
| we will have befallen |
| you will have befallen |
| they will have befallen |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be befalling |
| you will be befalling |
| he/she/it will be befalling |
| we will be befalling |
| you will be befalling |
| they will be befalling |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been befalling |
| you have been befalling |
| he/she/it has been befalling |
| we have been befalling |
| you have been befalling |
| they have been befalling |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been befalling |
| you will have been befalling |
| he/she/it will have been befalling |
| we will have been befalling |
| you will have been befalling |
| they will have been befalling |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been befalling |
| you had been befalling |
| he/she/it had been befalling |
| we had been befalling |
| you had been befalling |
| they had been befalling |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would befall |
| you would befall |
| he/she/it would befall |
| we would befall |
| you would befall |
| they would befall |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have befallen |
| you would have befallen |
| he/she/it would have befallen |
| we would have befallen |
| you would have befallen |
| they would have befallen |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
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. gebeur, oorkom يَحْدُث لِ، يَقَعُ لِ случвам се на acontecer přihodit se, postihnout widerfahren hænde; ramme συμβαίνω, τυχαίνω σε κπ. acontecer tabama اتفاق افتادن tapahtua arriver לִקרוֹת आ पड़ना, घटित होना spopasti, zadesiti (meg)történik menimpa koma fyrir, henda accadere 〜に起こる 일어나다 ištikti notikt; atgadīties menimpa overkomen hende, skje przytrafić się acontecer a se întâmpla случаться postihnúť pripetiti se zadesiti hända, drabba เกิดขึ้น başına gelmek 發生在(人或物)上 траплятися; статися واقع ہونا ، پڑنا xảy đến 发生于,降临
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.