come
- to come to pass; happen.
- Nautical. to tack.
- Also come upon. to find or encounter, especially by chance: I came across this picture when I was cleaning out the attic.We suddenly came upon a deer while walking in the woods.
- Informal. to make good one's promise, as to pay a debt, do what is expected, etc.: to come across with the rent.
- to be understandable or convincing: The moral of this story doesn't come across.
- Informal. to make a particular impression; comport oneself: She comes across as a very cold person.
- to accompany someone, attend as part of a group:He didn't come along on the last trip.
- to proceed, develop, or advance sufficiently or successfully: The new project was coming along quite smoothly.
- to appear; emerge as a factor or possibility: Even if another job comes along this summer, I won't take it.
- to recover consciousness; revive.
- to change one's opinion, decision, etc., especially to agree with another's.
- to visit: Come around more often.
- to cease being angry, hurt, etc.
- to return, especially to one's memory: It all comes back to me now.
- to return to a former position or state.
- to talk back; retort: to come back with a witty remark.
- to lose wealth, rank, etc.; be reduced in circumstances or status.
- to be handed down by tradition or inheritance.
- to be relayed or passed along from a source of higher rank or authority: The general's orders will come down tomorrow.
- Slang. to take place; happen.
- Slang. to lose one's euphoria, enthusiasm, or especially the effects of a drug high.
- to voice one's opposition to: She came down on increased spending and promised to cut the budget.
- to reprimand; scold: He came down on me for getting to work late.
- to enter.
- to arrive.
- to come into use or fashion.
- to begin to produce or yield: The oil well finally came in.
- to be among the winners: His horse came in and paid 5 to 1.
- to finish in a race or any competition, as specified: Our bobsled team came in fifth.
- to acquire; get.
- to inherit: He came into a large fortune at the age of 21.
- Also come upon. to meet or find unexpectedly.
- to make progress; develop; flourish.
- to appear on stage; make one's entrance.
- to begin; appear: The last showing will be coming on in a few minutes.
- Informal. (used chiefly in the imperative) to hurry; begin: Come on, before it rains!
- Informal. (as an entreaty or attempt at persuasion) please: Come on, go with us to the movies.
- Slang. to try to make an impression or have an effect; present oneself: She comes on a bit too strong for my taste.
- Slang. to make sexual advances: a Lothario who was always coming on with the women at the office.
- to be published; appear.
- to become known; be revealed.
- to make a debut in society, the theater, etc.
- to end; terminate; emerge: The fight came out badly, as both combatants were injured.
- to acknowledge and publicly reveal a sexual orientation or gender identity that does not conform to socially defined norms: After an unsuccessful five-year marriage to a man, I finally came out as a lesbian.
- to publicly acknowledge a surprising interest or hobby, or to identify in an unexpected way as part of a fandom, a supporter of a particular political party, etc.: I haven’t come out as a Trekkie to my coworkers yet.She came out as a fan of reality TV.
- to speak, especially to confess or reveal something.
- to make available to the public; bring out: The publisher is coming out with a revised edition of the textbook.
- to happen to; affect: What's come over him?
- to change sides or positions; change one's mind: He was initially against the plan, but he's come over now.
- to visit informally: Our neighbors came over last night and we had a good chat.
- come (def. 29).
- Nautical. (of a sailing vessel) to head toward the wind; come to.
- to recover consciousness.
- to amount to; total.
- Nautical. to take the way off a vessel, as by bringing her head into the wind or anchoring.
- to fit into a category or classification: This play comes under the heading of social criticism.
- to be the province or responsibility of: This matter comes under the State Department.
- to be referred to; arise: The subject kept coming up in conversation.
- to be presented for action or discussion: The farm bill comes up for consideration next Monday.
Idioms about come
- (of an anchor) to begin to drag.
- (of an object) to move when hauled upon.
Words nearby come
How to use come in a sentence
Officials predict that the percentage of students who wish to remain virtual come fall will be small.
Fairfax schools will try to make fall as close to ‘pre-pandemic normal’ as possible|Hannah Natanson|April 21, 2021|Washington PostWall Street is not only unperturbed by the prospect of Washington awash in blue come January, it sees a possible upside.
This year’s ‘October surprise’ could impact your portfolio for years to come|Bernhard Warner|October 11, 2020|FortuneNow, most trainers would now recommend redirecting the scratching dog to a better behavior, a come or a sit, rewarded with a treat.
The impact is big and there’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s take a look at ad spend and explore some of the options available to advertisers in the coming months.
However, they also detected red light produced by much cooler gas, which would most likely come from stars.
Meanwhile, in Florida, Bush was flooded with questions about whether gay marriage could possibly come to the Sunshine State.
These generally come from the outside, from cultural pressures and messages.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEASTBut there is an underlying feeling that the worst is yet to come.
My agent at the time sent that tape to SNL and then they asked me to come in for an audition.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEASTAnd suddenly, we were able to come up with all these scenes for it.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEASTIn their shelter, Brion and Ulv crouched low and wondered why the attack didn't come.
Sense of Obligation|Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)Babylas raised his pale face; he knew what was coming; it had come so many times before.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael SabatiniHe reached forward and took her hands, and if Mrs. Vivian had come in she would have seen him kneeling at her daughter's feet.
Confidence|Henry JamesVicars' wives had come and gone, but all had submitted, some after a brief struggle, to old Mrs. Wurzel's sway.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James WillsThis wasn't at all what he meant to say, and it sounded very ridiculous; but somehow the words wouldn't come straight.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
British Dictionary definitions for come
- to pretend; act a part
- to exaggerate
- (often foll by over) to try to impose (upon)
- to divulge a secret; inform the police
Word Origin for come
Other Idioms and Phrases with come
In addition to the idioms beginning with come
- come about
- come across
- come again?
- come alive
- come along
- come a long way
- come and get it
- come and go
- come apart at the seams
- come around
- come at
- come back
- come between
- come by
- come clean
- come down
- come down on
- come down the pike
- come down to
- come down with
- comedy of errors
- come forward
- come from
- come from behind
- come full circle
- come hell or high water
- come home to roost
- come in
- come in for
- come in from the cold
- come in handy
- come in out of the rain, know enough to
- come into
- come of
- come of age
- come off
- come off it
- come on
- come one's way
- come on in
- come on strong
- come on to
- come out
- come out ahead
- come out for
- come out in the wash, it will
- come out of
- come out of nowhere
- come out of the closet
- come out with
- come over
- come round
- come through
- come to
- come to a halt
- come to a head
- come to an end
- come to blows
- come to grief
- come to grips with
- come to life
- come to light
- come to mind
- come to no good
- come to nothing
- come to one's senses
- come to pass
- come to terms
- come to that
- come to the point
- come to the same thing
- come to think of it
- come true
- come under
- come unglued
- come up
- come up against
- come up in the world
- come upon
- come up roses
- come up to
- come up with
- come what may
- come with the territory
also see:
- bigger they come
- cross a bridge when one comes to it
- dream come true
- easy come, easy go
- first come, first served
- full circle, come
- get one's comeuppance
- (come) to the point
- how come
- if the mountain won't come to Muhammad
- if worst comes to worst
- Johnny-come-lately
- know enough to come in out of the rain
- make a comeback
- of age, come
- on the scene, come
- out of nowhere, come
- push comes to shove
- ship comes in, when one's
- till the cows come home
- what goes around comes around
- when it comes down to
Also see undercoming.