From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbefallbe‧fall /bɪˈfɔːl $ -ˈfɒːl/ verb (past tense befell /-ˈfel/, past participle befallen /-ˈfɔːlən $ -ˈfɒː-/) [transitive] literary HAPPENif something unpleasant or dangerous befalls you, it happens to you We prayed that no harm should befall them.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
befall• For his own good she frequently reminded him of the horrors and deprivations that would befall him there.• In addressing his case, Simpson says Fuhrman is a critical link to the misery that has befallen him.• Despite the economic disaster that had befallen his country in the decade he had held power, he was confident of victory.• He clings to power largely because his Sunni-dominated army is afraid of the revenge that would befall it if he fell.• I shared the joke, wondering just what fate might befall me later in the morning.• Ishmael, worried for fear some evil has befallen Queequeg, rushes to the landlady and asks for a key.• Now another misfortune befell the invaders.• A similar crisis could befall the nation's banks.• The changes that befall us along the way are just the various experiences that we encounter on our journey. 