befall

IPA/bɪˈfɔːl/
KK[bɪfˈɔl]IPA/bɪˈfɔːl/

befall — verb

  • befallpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • befallshe / she / it
  • befellpast simple
  • befallenpast participle
  • befalling-ing form

1. to happen to someone, especially when the event is bad or harmful — used mainly

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to happen to someone, especially when the event is bad or harmful — used mainly in formal, literary, or old-fashioned English

例句

A terrible tragedy befell the village when the earthquake destroyed their homes.

event-subject pattern: tragedy/disaster + befall + person/place

No one could have predicted the misfortune that would befall Anjali's family that winter.

同義詞
  • happen to

    much more common and neutral; can be used for good or bad events in any register

  • overtake

    also literary, but emphasises suddenness or inevitability; can be literal (e.g. 'darkness overtook them')

  • occur

    neutral and formal, but does not carry the sense of affecting a specific person

文法句型

something + befall + someone

用法筆記

Unlike the everyday verb 'happen', 'befall' is rarely used in conversation or informal writing. It is restricted to narrative prose, news reports, and elevated speech. The subject is always an event or circumstance — never a person.

常見錯誤

❌A car accident befell him yesterday.
✅He was in a car accident yesterday.
💡'befall' is too formal for a routine accident; use 'had an accident' or 'was in an accident'.
❌She befell a terrible illness.
✅A terrible illness befell her.
💡The event/thing is the subject; the person is the object. With 'befall', the bad thing happens TO someone, not the other way around.