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befall

[ bih-fawl ]

/ bɪˈfɔl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR befall ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), be·fell, be·fall·en, be·fall·ing.

to happen or occur.

Archaic. to come, as by right.

verb (used with object), be·fell, be·fall·en, be·fall·ing.

to happen to, especially by chance or fate.

Origin of befall

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

SYNONYMS FOR befall

1 bechance, ensue, betide, materialize, chance.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR befall ON THESAURUS.COM

Words nearby befall

beeville, beevor's sign, beezer, bef, bef., befall, befit, befitting, beflag, beflowered, befog

Example sentences from the Web for befall

There are too many accidents that can befall life on a single planet.

The Other Side of Stephen Hawking: Strippers, Aliens, and Disturbing Abuse Claims |Marlow Stern |November 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Information about the neurologic and psychological changes that may befall young TBI victims is scarce.

Study Says Half of Jailed NYC Teens Have History of Brain Injury |Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad |April 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Her daily missives chronicle the longing and insecurity that often befall long-distance relationships and eventual breakups.

Book Bag: The Best Letter Collections |R. Blakeslee Gilpin |December 18, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
FERC also needs to have sufficient power to deal with a national emergency that might befall the entire bulk electricity system.

Don't Let a Good Thing Pass Us By |Justin Green |November 12, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

The most frivolous disaster which could befall himself would occasion a more real disturbance.

Who Cares About Drone Strikes? |Megan McArdle |September 28, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Had I known all that must befall me, before my eyes beheld that scene again, I think indeed that it would have burst.

Montezuma's Daughter |H. Rider Haggard
He had tried to move, but could not, and he waited calmly what fate might befall him.

Gerald Fitzgerald |Charles James Lever
The cigarettes were to keep up his courage in the face of whatever disaster might befall him.

Life in a Tank |Richard Haigh
Thou must depart from this place; for it is perilous to thee, and if thou stayest here, ill will befall thee.

The Lancashire Witches |William Harrison Ainsworth
Whatever may befall me, I feel that my fellow-citizens of Indiana have crowned me and made me forever their debtor.

Speeches of Benjamin Harrison |Benjamin Harrison

British Dictionary definitions for befall

befall

/ (bɪˈfɔːl) /

verb -falls, -falling, -fell or -fallen archaic, or literary

(intr) to take place; come to pass

(tr) to happen to

(intr usually foll by to) to be due, as by right

Word Origin for befall

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