Befall — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

become of; happen to

happen, occur, or be the case in the course of events or by chance; ; (Santayana)

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/kˈælɚɹᵻsˌeɪɾɚ/

🇬🇧British English

/ˈɑːsənˌɪst/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ˈɑːsənˌɪst/

2 syllables Say it as /kˈælɚɹᵻsˌeɪɾɚ/.

Examples

He promised that no harm would befall her
What has become of my children?
It happens that today is my birthday

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

betide bechance happen

Parts of Speech

verb	become of; happen to “He promised that no harm would befall her”
verb	happen, occur, or be the case in the course of events or by chance; ; (Santayana) “It happens that today is my birthday”

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

widerfahren

werden aus; passieren

🇫🇷French

arriver à

devenir de; arriver à

🇪🇸Spanish

acontecer

ser de; sucederle

🇮🇹Italian

accadere

diventare di; capitare

🇳🇱Dutch

overkomen

worden van; gebeuren

🇵🇹Portuguese

acontecer

tornar-se de; acontecer

🇷🇺Russian

случиться

стать; случиться с

India

🇮🇳Hindi

घटित होना

का बन गया; के साथ घटित

🇧🇩Bengali

পতন

পরিণত হওয়া; ঘটবে

🇮🇳Tamil

ஏற்படும்

ஆக; நடக்கும்

🇮🇳Telugu

జరుగుతాయి

యొక్క మారింది; జరుగుతుంది

🇮🇳Marathi

पडणे

बनणे घडते

🇮🇳Gujarati

પડવું

નું થવું થાય છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಸಂಭವಿಸುತ್ತದೆ

ಆಗಲು; ಸಂಭವಿಸುತ್ತದೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

സംഭവിക്കുന്നു

ആകുക; സംഭവിക്കുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਆਉਣਾ

ਬਣਨਾ; ਨੂੰ ਵਾਪਰਦਾ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

گرنا

بن کو ہوتا ہے

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

降临

成为；碰巧

🇯🇵Japanese

降りかかる

になる。たまたま

🇰🇷Korean

생기다

~이 되다; 우연히

🇻🇳Vietnamese

xảy ra

trở thành ; xảy ra với

🇹🇭Thai

เกิดขึ้น

กลายเป็น; เกิดขึ้นกับ

🇮🇩Indonesian

menimpa

menjadi dari; terjadi pada

🇵🇭Filipino

sumapit

maging ng; mangyari sa

🇲🇾Malay

menimpa

menjadi daripada; berlaku kepada

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

يصيب

أصبح من؛ يحدث ل

🇮🇷Persian

رخ می دهد

تبدیل شدن به اتفاق بیفتد

🇹🇷Turkish

başına gelmek

olmak; başına gelmek

🇮🇱Hebrew

לִקְרוֹת

להפוך מ; לקרות

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'befall'?

The primary meaning of 'befall' is 'become of; happen to'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'befall' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'befall' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'befall' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'befall' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'befall' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

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Never

Do you find 'befall' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'befall' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'befall' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'befall' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'befall' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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