English Explanatory Dictionary

befall

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To fall upon; fall all over; overtake.
  2. To happen.
  3. To happen to.
  4. To fall.
noun
  1. Case; instance; circumstance; event; incident; accident.

Pronunciation

/bɪˈfɔːl/ /bɪˈfɔl/ /bɪˈfɑl/ En-us-befall.ogg

Word forms

befall befalls befalling befell befallen

Etymology

From Middle English bifallen, from Old English befeallan, from Proto-West Germanic *bifallan, from Proto-Germanic *bifallaną; equivalent to be- + fall.

Synonyms

occur transpire come to pass

Derived words

befalling misbefall
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on B Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary