befall

/bɪˈfɑl/

/bɪˈfɔl/

Other forms: befallen; befell; befalls; befalling

Befall is an old-fashioned or literary way of saying something happened by chance. Bad luck befalls a heroine who drops her lucky rabbit foot.

When something befalls you, it’s like bad luck falling on you. An earthquake can befall a city. A terrible disease could befall a child. A bolt of lightning could befall a very unlucky person. When something befalls you, you’re in trouble. Tragedies befall families in many of Shakespeare’s plays — that’s what makes them so much fun.

Definitions of befall

1. verb

   become of; happen to
   “He promised that no harm would befall her”

   synonyms: bechance, betide

   type of:

   come about, fall out, go on, hap, happen, occur, pass, pass off, take place

   come to pass
2. verb

   happen, occur, or be the case in the course of events or by chance
   “"These things befell" (Santayana)”

   synonyms: bechance, happen

   happen

   chance to be or do something, without intention or causation

   type of:

   come about, fall out, go on, hap, happen, occur, pass, pass off, take place

   come to pass