come across
Britishverb
-
(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
-
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"What music in London has been missing for a long time is vulnerability, because I think a lot of us are trying so hard to come across a certain way," he told Kids Take Over.
From BBC
"It's magnificent and we're enjoying it. We also came across a lot of tourists and they look so happy."
From BBC
The team from Pre-Construct Archaeology was working on a building site a few miles from Thetford, Norfolk, when they came across the hoard last year.
From BBC
"I'm really sorry if it comes across in that way. That was absolutely not the case," Guildford replied.
From BBC
When I came across his obituary, I called his family members and Ford to hear more about who he was—and how he pointed so many people in the right direction.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
