English · Phrasal verb Attested

happen by

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

to come across, to chance upon, to find unexpectedly or accidentally

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

tình cờ gặp hoặc tìm thấy

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

to show up unexpectedly or accidentally

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

xuất hiện bất ngờ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Topics: Dated

What does “happen by” mean?

to come across, to chance upon, to find unexpectedly or accidentally

Is “happen by” formal or informal?

happen by is generally dated.