come across
Britishverb
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(preposition) to meet or find by accident
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(adverb) (of a person or his or her words) to communicate the intended meaning or impression
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(often foll by with) to provide what is expected
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Also, come upon ; run across . Meet or find by chance, as in I came across your old letters today , or He came upon her looking in the store window . or If I run across it, I'll call you . The first term dates from the 1800s. The first variant was used by Oliver Goldsmith in She Stoops to Conquer (1773): “You are to go sideways till you come upon Crack-Skull Common.” The second variant was used by Mark Twain in Tramp Abroad (1880): “If I don't run across you in Italy, you hunt me up in London.”
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Also, come across with . Pay or give what is expected or demanded, as in He finally came across with some food , or The landlord wants the rent, so come across . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]
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Make a particular impression, as in He comes across as a very sincere person or Her meaning doesn't really come across; she'll have to revise the speech . [ Colloquial ; first half of 1900s] Also see get across ; put across .
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.
And for a series where the stakes are so high, no expense is spared in ensuring that the film team know exactly how each auditionee will come across on screen.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
At first, postdoctoral researcher Olívia Soares Pereira thought the vehicle had come across a jellyfish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
That could come across as passive-aggressive and might create more awkwardness in your wider circle.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
I’ve come across at least one venture capital investor comparing this moment for those categories to what we saw with software investment in 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
As we make our way through the maze of kids, corridors, and staircases, we come across another little kid stranded in a sea of gigantic, frantic eighth graders.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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.
