happening
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
A spontaneous or improvised event.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
hapuhningSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhæpənɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
An event that happens
adjective
slangof a place
Busy, lively; vibrant, dynamic; fashionable.
slangof a person or product
Trendy, up-to-the-minute.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Word Aura is being prepared for this meaning.
More ways to use happening
- “What is happening at the park this afternoon?”
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.