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

Officials said the problem came about because of “legacy coding from 2006.”

From Los Angeles Times

The format change came about partly because of something viewers suggested on social media during earlier seasons.

From BBC

So many cartoons depict great ideas using light bulbs that we’ve forgotten many of the greatest ideas come about from long deliberation and careful winnowing.

From Los Angeles Times

“Every four years it’s like a different kind of community that comes about,” Hughes said.

From Los Angeles Times

"We don't yet understand how this pairing comes about."

From Science Daily