befall

bɪˈfɔːl

befallenbefell

Definition

Synonyms

Conjugation

Definition of befall - Reverso English Dictionary

Verb

intr.

negative event

Dated

happen to someone, often something bad

Dated

Misfortune may befall those who ignore warnings.

happen

occur

fate-driven

Dated

occur as a result of fate

Dated

It befell that they never met again.

happen

occur

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Origin of befall

Old English, be- (about) + feallan (to fall)

Terms with befall included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.

curse

superstition

prayer for harm to befall someone

hap

befall

happen to someone or something

Examples of befall in a sentence

Illness befell the travelers during their journey.
Misfortune befell the travelers on their journey.
It befell him to inherit the family estate.

View all translations of befall

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French:arriver, se produire, ...
German:widerfahren, vom Schicksal bestimmt, ...
Italian:accadere, succedere, ...
Spanish:suceder, ...
Portuguese:acontecer, ...
Chinese:遭遇, 命中注定, ...
Japanese:降りかかる, 運命によって起こる, ...
Arabic:أَصَابَ, حَدَثَ, ...
Hebrew:לִקְרוֹת, לִפְקוֹד, ...
Russian:постичь, произойти, ...
Ukrainian:спіткати, відбуватися за долею, ...
Hindi:होना, नियति द्वारा होना, ...
Bengali:ঘটা, নিয়তি দ্বারা ঘটানো, ...
Catalan:esdevenir, esdevenir per destí, ...
Czech:stát se, stát se někomu, ...
Danish:ramme, overgå ved skæbne, ...
Dutch:overkomen, geschieden, ...
Greek:συμβαίνω, συνέβη από τη μοίρα, ...
Hungarian:érni, megesik, ...
Khmer:កើតឡើងចំពោះ, កើតឡើងដោយវាសនា, ...
Korean:닥치다, 운명지어지다, ...
Persian:اتفاق افتاد, مقدر شدن, ...
Polish:spotkać, przypaść w udziale, ...
Portuguese (BR):acontecer, ...
Romanian:a se întâmpla, a se întâmplă din destin, ...
Swedish:drabba, förutbestämt, ...
Thai:เกิดขึ้น, เกิดขึ้นตามโชคชะตา, ...
Turkish:başına gelmek, kaderin bir sonucu olarak meydana gelmek, ...
Vietnamese:xảy ra, xảy ra do số phận, ...

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Definition of befall - Reverso English Dictionary

Verb

Origin of befall

Terms related to befall

Terms with befall included in their meaning

Examples of befall in a sentence

View all translations of befall

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery