hap
Noun:
- An occurrence, event, or happening, especially one that is accidental or by chance: "hap" refers to something that happens, often implying it is a random or fortuitous event.
- (Archaic) Luck or fortune: In older usage, "hap" could mean chance or fortune itself.
Verb:
- (Archaic) To happen; to come to pass; to occur: This verb form means to take place or to come about, often by chance.
Noun:
- The historian chronicled every hap and mishap of the king's reign. (The historian recorded every event and misfortune of the king's reign.)
- By some strange hap, they met again in a distant city. (By some strange chance, they met again in a distant city.)
Verb:
- Whatever may hap, we must be prepared. (Whatever may happen, we must be prepared.)
- It haps that fortune favors the bold. (It happens that fortune favors the bold.)
"As hap would have it": By chance or coincidence; as it happened.
- As hap would have it, I found the very book I needed at a small market stall. (By chance, I found the very book I needed at a small market stall.)
"Good hap" / "Ill hap": Good fortune or bad fortune (archaic).
- They wished him good hap on his journey. (They wished him good fortune on his journey.)
Happen (verb): To take place or occur. This is the modern, more common verb derived from "hap".
- What will happen next?
Happening (noun): An event or occurrence.
- The concert was a memorable happening.
Haphazard (adj): Lacking any obvious principle of organization; random, governed by chance.
- The books were arranged in a haphazard manner.
Hapless (adj): (Unfortunate) Unlucky. Literally meaning "without hap/luck".
- The hapless traveler lost his way in the storm.
Perhaps (adv): Possibly; maybe. Derived from "per" (by) + "hap" (chance).
- Perhaps it will rain tomorrow.
- Chance (noun): The occurrence of events in the absence of any obvious intention or cause.
- Event (noun): A thing that happens, especially one of importance.
- Occurrence (noun): An incident or event.
- Befall (verb): (Archaic/literary) To happen to someone.
(Note: "Hap" as a verb is archaic and does not commonly form modern phrasal verbs. The related modern verb "happen" is used instead.) - Happen upon: To find or encounter something by chance. - She happened upon an old diary in the attic.
- As luck would have it: By good or bad fortune. This is a modern equivalent of "as hap would have it".
- As luck would have it, the train was delayed, so I caught it just in time.
- an accidental happening
- he recorded all the little haps and mishaps of his life
- come to pass
- What is happening?
- The meeting took place off without an incidence
- Nothing occurred that seemed important