come in
Britishverb
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to enter, used in the imperative when admitting a person
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to prove to be
it came in useful
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to become fashionable or seasonable
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cricket to begin an innings
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sport to finish a race (in a certain position)
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(of a politician or political party) to win an election
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radio television to be received
news is coming in of a big fire in Glasgow
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(of money) to be received as income
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to play a role; advance one's interests
where do I come in?
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(foll by for) to be the object of
the Chancellor came in for a lot of criticism in the Commons
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Arrive, become available for use or begin to produce, as in Has the new fall line come in yet? or The latest reports are coming in now , or This well has just begun to come in . [Late 1800s]
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Also, come in on . Join an enterprise, as in Do you want to come in on our venture? [Mid-1800s]
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Be one of those who finish a contest or race, as in My horse came in last . [Late 1800s]
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Perform or function, as in This mixer comes in very handy , or Where does my department come in? [Late 1800s] Also see come in handy .
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Enter into an account, issue, or list, as in Where does this question come in? or Please explain where in this long process I come in . This usage dates from Shakespeare's time and appears in The Tempest (2:1): “Widow? A pox on that! How came that widow in?” Also see subsequent entries beginning with come in ; come into ; this is where I came in .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The container had also come in via Durban's harbour.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
England's style of play under McCullum and skipper Stokes has come in for attention since they took charge of the Test team in 2022.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
That means AI spending is behind both employment and inflation, leading him to estimate that nonfarm payrolls for May could surprise on the upside and come in above the 95,000 consensus.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
Wall Street expects earnings per share to top $60 for the fiscal year ending in August—and to come in around $106 for the next fiscal year, according to estimates from Visible Alpha.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
“Take a breath and come in and tell me the whole story.”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
