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

See Examples For:

come about

What 250 years means: I think that with every year that passes, it’s important to do things differently, so that you can see how change can come about.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

When did the idea for creating a new album come about?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

“The abolition of slavery did not come about only because of resistance on the part of the oppressed,” he finds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

And that has come about because of the increased electrification.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

And one could only be left to sit back and witness this spectacle, waiting to see if anything brilliant or cathartic would come about.

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley