come down with

American  

verb

came down with, coming down with

1. to feel the early symptoms of (a head cold, the flu, a migraine, or other typically short-term illness).

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come down with Idioms  

1. Become ill with, as in The whole family came down with the flu. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Her father, for his part, recalled how it felt to come down with hantavirus, causing body aches and a bitter taste that even made sipping water unpleasant.

From Barron's • May 11, 2026

Animals that catch it typically come down with a high temperature before developing blisters, usually around the mouth or feet.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2025

More than 3 years earlier, in the summer of 2020, Hayden had come down with COVID-19 while visiting family in Colorado.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 11, 2024

It can be worse for others, but even so, we have come to accept that occasionally we’re going to come down with the disease, and we move on.

From Salon • Apr. 2, 2024

The babysitter, who had come down with them to ease the transition, crowded into the apartment as well.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly