come about

British  

verb

1. to take place; happen

2. nautical to change tacks

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come about Idioms  

1. Also, come to pass . Happen, take place, as in How did this quarrel come about? or When did this new development come to pass? Shakespeare used the first term, first recorded in 1315, in Hamlet (5:2): “How these things came about.” The variant, dating from the late 1400s, appears often in the Bible, as in, “And it came to pass ... that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus” (Luke 2:1).

2. Also, go about . In sailing, to change tack (direction), as in It's important to duck under the boom when we come about . [Mid-1500s]

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Example Sentences

European leaders say forcing the passageway open militarily is unrealistic and more likely to come about through international pressure.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

It is hard to imagine U.S. consumers actually wanting balanced trade; it would only come about through significant reductions in already tightening consumer spending or a softening of foreign demand for U.S. assets.

From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025

And former Barcelona youth player Xavier Vilajoana, who reportedly is bidding to be its next president, called on the club to clarify how the deal had come about in a post on X.

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2025

It’s harder for a recession to come about when these huge behavioral trends are in motion, he adds.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 4, 2025

As the tide of chemicals born of the Industrial Age has arisen to engulf our environment, a drastic change has come about in the nature of the most serious public health problems.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson