Meaning
“Happen upon” means to find, meet, or come across something or someone unexpectedly or by chance.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: phrasal verb
- Structure: happen upon + noun / pronoun
- It is transitive (it takes an object).
- Often used in storytelling or casual speech to describe an accidental discovery or encounter.
Pattern examples:
- happen upon + person → "I happened upon an old friend."
- happen upon + place/thing → "They happened upon a hidden beach."
Common Phrases
- happen upon a treasure
- happen upon a solution
- happen upon an opportunity
- happen upon someone
Collocations
- happen upon + discovery
- happen upon + idea
- happen upon + stranger
- happen upon + rare book
Examples
- I happened upon an old diary in the attic.
- She happened upon a charming little café while walking downtown.
- We happened upon a shortcut that saved us twenty minutes.
- He happened upon a great deal at the bookstore.
- The hikers happened upon a breathtaking view at the mountain’s peak.
- I happened upon my neighbor at the airport yesterday.
- They happened upon a stray dog in the park.
- She happened upon an interesting article while browsing online.
Synonyms or Related
- come across
- stumble upon
- run into
- chance upon
Antonym
- avoid
- miss
- overlook