Adjacent Words

Befall definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BEFALL', v.t. pret. befell; part. befallen.
To happen to; to occur to; as, let me know the worst that can befall me. It usually denotes ill. It is generally transitive in form, but there seems to be an ellipsis of to,and to sometimes follows it.
BEFALL', v.i. To happen; to come to pass.
To befall of is not legitimate.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: become of; happen to; "He promised that no harm would befall her"; "What has become of my children?" [syn: befall, bechance, betide]
2: 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) [syn: happen, befall, bechance]

Merriam Webster's

verb (befell; befallen) Date: 13th century intransitive verb to happen especially as if by fate transitive verb to happen to <the fate that befell them>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. (past befell; past part. befallen) poet. 1 intr. happen (so it befell). 2 tr. happen to (a person etc.) (what has befallen her?). Etymology: OE befeallan (as BE-, feallan FALL)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Befall Be*fall", v. t. [imp. Befell; p. p. Befallen; p. pr. & vb. n. Befalling.] [AS. befeallan; pref. be- + feallan to fall.] To happen to. I beseech your grace that I may know The worst that may befall me. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Befall Be*fall", v. i. To come to pass; to happen. I have revealed . . . the discord which befell. --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(befalls, befalling, befell, befallen) If something bad or unlucky befalls you, it happens to you. (LITERARY) ...the disaster that befell the island of Flores. VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Betide, overtake, bechance, happen to. II. v. n. Happen, chance, betide, supervene, occur, take place, come to pass.

Moby Thesaurus

be found, be met with, be realized, bechance, betide, break, chance, come, come about, come along, come down, come off, come to pass, come true, develop, eventuate, fall, fall out, go, go off, hap, happen, happen along, happen by chance, hazard, occur, pass, pass off, pop up, take place, transpire, turn up