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come across
verb
(preposition) to meet or find by accident
(adverb) (of a person or his or her words) to communicate the intended meaning or impression
(often foll by with) to provide what is expected
Idioms and Phrases
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.”
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]
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
Illegal drugs that enter the U.S. over land come across the southern and northern borders.
Ms. Keaton’s la-di-da breeziness was one of her most sneakily beguiling qualities; she came across as the best friend you’d love to confide in because you knew she didn’t hold herself higher than you.
That was when he came across a Ukrainian dugout and asked them for help, he added.
“You saw people using personal boats coming across the water to bring fuel and supplies. And that was all uncoordinated, it was just a rise of people helping the community.”
It was fall and we were riding around in the hills when we came across a mutual friend.
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