come across

British  

verb

1. (preposition) to meet or find by accident

2. (adverb) (of a person or his or her words) to communicate the intended meaning or impression

3. (often foll by with) to provide what is expected

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come across Idioms  

1. 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.”

2. 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]

3. 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 .

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Example Sentences

There is a level of interest in these elections, especially to councils, that I have never come across in almost a quarter of a century of covering these things.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

That ultimately preventing van Dijk from being able to come across to defend against goalscorer Kvaratskhelia.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

That cascade isn’t in most procurement scenarios I come across.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Kennedy had come across “Virtual Temptation in Eden” in a weekly art newsletter called “It’s Nice That.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

You just didn’t come across victims like Westley every day of the year.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

Related Words

• bump into
• discover
• notice
• stumble upon
• uncover
• unearth