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Happens vs Appears - What's the difference?

happens | appears |

As verbs the difference between happens and appears

is that happens is (happen) while appears is (appear).

happens

English

Verb

(head)
  • (happen)

    • happen

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To occur or take place.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-28, author=(Joris Luyendijk)
    • , volume=189, issue=3, page=21, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Our banks are out of control , passage=Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic who still resists the idea that something drastic needs to happen for him to turn his life around.}}
  • To occur unexpectedly, by chance or with a low probability.
  • To encounter by chance.
  • * 1860 , , The Marble Faun , ch. 30:
    • Unexpectedly, in a nook close by the farmhouse, he happened upon a spot where the vintage had actually commenced.

    Usage notes

    * This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . See

    Derived terms

    * as it happens * happen along * happener * happeningly * it so happens

    Related terms

    * * happenstance

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (obsolete or dialect) maybe, perhaps.
    • English catenative verbs 1000 English basic words ----

    appears

    English

    Verb

    (head)
  • (appear)
  • * 1846 , George Luxford, Edward Newman, The Phytologist: a popular botanical miscellany: Volume 2, Part 2 , page 474
    • It was aptly said by Newton that "whatever is not deduced from facts must be regarded as hypothesis," but hypothesis appears to us a title too honourable for the crude guessings to which we allude.