come

come1 [ kʌm ] (past tense came [ keım ] ; past participle come) verb ***

▸ 1 move/travel (to here)

▸ 2 reach particular state

▸ 3 start doing something

▸ 4 reach particular point

▸ 5 be received

▸ 6 happen

▸ 7 exist or be produced

▸ 8 be somewhere in order

▸ 9 reach sexual excitement

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) intransitive to move or travel to the place where you are:

come across/along/down/into etc.: A tall woman in black was coming across the lawn.

We have people coming to dinner tonight.

come here/home/nearer/downstairs etc.: Billy, I want you to come here at once!

come and do something: Come and tell me all about it.

come to do something: Someone is supposed to come this morning to fix the computer.

come running/flying/rushing/crashing etc. somewhere: All the glasses came crashing onto the floor.

come by train/car/airplane etc.: We flew into Chicago and came the rest of the way by train.

a ) intransitive to go somewhere with someone:

I'm leaving now are you coming?

come with: We're all going into town and we thought you'd like to come with us.

b ) transitive to move or travel a particular distance to where you are:

Have you come a long way?

They've come about 10 miles from the next village.

2. ) intransitive come to to reach a particular state:

come to a decision/conclusion/view etc.: We came to the conclusion that she must be telling the truth.

come to an end/stop/halt/standstill: All good things must come to an end.

come to power/prominence: When the Freedom Party came to power they continued these policies.

3. ) intransitive come into to start doing something:

come into existence/operation/effect etc.: The new changes will come into effect next month.

come into view/sight (=to start to be seen): As we turned the corner, the top of the Eiffel Tower came into view.

4. ) intransitive to reach a particular point or level:

come as high/low/far etc. as something: The road comes as far as the post office and then turns into a dirt track.

come up/down to something: The water came up to my shoulders.

5. ) intransitive if something such as a letter or message comes, you receive it:

The news could not have come at a better time.

6. ) intransitive to happen:

Police investigated him for three years before the breakthrough came.

come as a shock/surprise/relief/disappointment/reminder etc. (=be a shock etc.): It came as no surprise that she left the company.

This news has come as a disappointment to local business leaders.

coming soon: Coming soon, the new smash-hit comedy starring Julia Roberts.

come in twos/threes etc. (=two/three etc. of them happen at the same time): Instances of bad luck are supposed to come in threes.

7. ) intransitive to be sold or produced:

come in: The long-sleeved dress comes in yellow and blue.

come with: All new cars come with one year's free insurance.

8. ) intransitive to be in a particular position in a series or list or at the end of a race:

come before/after someone/something: July comes before August.

come first/second/third etc.: She came first in a national poetry competition.

My children always come first (=are the most important thing for me).

9. ) intransitive IMPOLITE to have an ORGASM (=reach the state of greatest sexual excitement)

as nice/big etc. as they come

used for emphasizing how nice/big etc. someone or something is:

Her husband is kind, helpful, and as handsome as they come.

the best/worst is yet to come

the best or worst thing has not happened yet

come again? INFORMAL

used for asking someone to repeat what they said

come and go

1. ) to arrive at a place and then leave it:

The woman in the apartment downstairs has people coming and going at all hours.

2. ) to be present or happen for a limited time and then stop:

Over the centuries we have seen many civilizations come and go.

come as

to wear unusual clothes that make you look like a particular kind of person for a COSTUME PARTY:

He had come as Napoleon.

come clean INFORMAL

to admit the truth, usually about something bad that you have done

come, come/come now OLD-FASHIONED

1. ) used for telling someone not to be upset or nervous

2. ) used for telling someone that you do not believe or accept what they are saying

come into contact (with)

to be in a place where you meet someone or experience something:

I'd rather not come into contact with any of her friends.

Could she have come into contact with the disease at school?

come a long way

to improve a lot or make a lot of progress:

Computers have come a long way since the huge mainframes of the 1950s.

come naturally/easily/easy (to someone)

to be easy for someone to do, without them needing to try hard

come to do something

1. ) to finally reach a state in which something happens or you do something:

She had come to regard him as one of her few real friends.

the man who had come to symbolize the Franco-American alliance

2. ) to do something by chance:

I'm just explaining to them how we come to be in Nantucket.

come to hand

to be available easily and immediately:

Use whatever tools come to hand.

come to life

1. ) if something such as a machine comes to life, it begins to work

2. ) to seem real and natural:

a style of writing that will make your characters come to life on the page

3. ) to start to become exciting or lively:

The game really came to life in the second half.

4. ) to start to be alive

come to mind

if someone or something comes to mind, you think of them

come to pass LITERARY

to happen

come to think of/about it SPOKEN

used for adding something that you have just remembered about a subject that you are talking about:

I love getting her letters. Come to think of it, I haven't had one for a while.

come true

if something that you have hoped for or expected comes true, it really happens

come undone/untied/unstuck etc.

to become undone/untied/unstuck etc.:

Fix your shoes the laces have come undone.

come what may FORMAL

despite anything that may happen

don't come the something (with me) BRITISH INFORMAL

used for telling someone angrily not to pretend that they have particular feelings or are in a particular situation, because you do not believe them:

Don't come the innocent with me!

get what's coming to you INFORMAL

to experience something bad, which you deserve

have it coming (to you) INFORMAL

to deserve something bad that happens to you

here comes someone

used for telling other people that someone is moving toward you:

Here comes Dad, and he doesn't look very happy.

how come? INFORMAL

used for asking why or how something happened:

How come you never listen to anything I say?

not come cheap INFORMAL

to cost a lot of money:

Houses like this don't come cheap.

not know whether you're coming or going INFORMAL

to feel very confused, usually because you have too many things to deal with

take something as it comes

to not worry about something before it happens and deal with it calmly when it does happen:

We're just taking each day as it comes.

to come

in the future:

days/weeks/months etc. to come: We were to remain enemies for years to come.

,come a`bout phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) to happen, especially by chance:

come about through: The increase in production has come about through the use of technology.

it comes about that: I don't know how it came about that we stopped loving each other.

2. ) TECHNICAL if a ship comes about, it changes direction

,come a`cross phrasal verb

1. ) transitive come across someone/something to meet someone or find something by chance:

I came across a word I'd never seen before.

Have you ever come across such a horrible person in all your life?

2. ) come across or come over intransitive if someone or something comes across or comes over in a particular way, you have a particular opinion of them when you meet them or see them:

A lot depends on how well you come across in the interview.

come across as (being) something: She comes across as very self-confident.

3. ) come across or come over intransitive if something such as a feeling or idea comes across or comes over when you speak, you make it very clear to people

,come a`cross with phrasal verb transitive BRITISH INFORMAL

come across with something to provide something that is needed or wanted

,come `after phrasal verb transitive

come after someone to try to find or catch someone, usually in order to punish or harm them

,come a`long phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) to arrive or become available:

He decided to give the money to the first stranger who came along.

He told me to work hard and take every opportunity that comes along.

2. ) to go somewhere with someone:

I've never seen a baseball game do you mind if I come along?

a ) to go somewhere so that you can be with someone who went there earlier:

Ray had some work to finish and decided to come along later.

3. ) usually progressive to make progress or get better in quality, skill, or health:

The building work was coming along nicely.

be coming along with something: How's Kathleen coming along with her swimming?

,come a`part phrasal verb intransitive

if an object comes apart, it separates into pieces, either because it has been made that way or because it is very old or in very bad condition

come apart at the seams

1. ) to fail completely or come to an end

2. ) to start behaving in a very strange way because you cannot deal with what is happening to you

,come a`round phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) come around or come round if a regular event comes around, it happens again:

Before we knew it, Christmas had come around again.

2. ) come around or come to to become conscious again after being unconscious:

When I came around, I was lying on the back seat of a car.

3. ) come around or come round to go to a place where someone is, especially their house, in order to visit them:

Why don't you come around after work?

4. ) come around or come round to change your opinion or decision because someone has persuaded you to agree with them:

I expect he'll come around eventually.

come around to: We knew she would come around to our way of thinking.

`come at phrasal verb transitive

1. ) come at or come for come at/for someone to move toward someone in order to threaten them or attack them physically:

A stranger came at him with a knife.

2. ) come at someone if things such as questions or pieces of information come at you, they are directed at you in order to influence or affect you

3. ) come at something to examine or deal with something such as a problem in a particular way:

Try coming at it from a different angle.

,come a`way phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) if one thing comes away from another that it was attached to, it becomes separated from it by accident:

Another block of stone came away from the wall.

2. ) to leave in a particular state or condition:

We came away with the feeling that they didn't really approve of us.

,come `back phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) to return to a place:

We knew we'd come back to Cape Cod every summer.

2. ) to start to be remembered again:

come back to: I can't think of her name right now, but I'm sure it'll come back to me.

3. ) to become fashionable again

4. ) to react or reply, especially by expressing your opinion in a strong clear way:

Jane came back with a strong response.

5. ) to become successful or effective after being in a bad situation, especially in a sports event:

They came back from behind to win 3 2.

,come `back to phrasal verb transitive

come back to something to deal again with something that you were dealing with earlier:

Can we come back to my original question?

`come be,fore phrasal verb transitive come before someone/something

1. ) to be more important than someone or something else:

In these situations, your family comes before everything else.

2. ) to be considered, discussed, or judged by someone in authority:

The case comes before the Magistrates again in June.

,come be`tween phrasal verb transitive

1. ) come between someone (and someone) to cause a disagreement or argument between people:

He didn't want this to come between them.

2. ) come between someone and something to prevent you from doing or getting something:

She was determined that nothing would come between her and the manager's job.

`come ,by phrasal verb transitive

come by something to get something, especially something that is hard to get:

How did you come by such a beautiful house?

be hard to come by: At that time, teaching jobs abroad were hard to come by.

,come `by phrasal verb intransitive or transitive

to go to the place where someone is for a short visit:

I'll come by this afternoon and we can talk.

,come `down phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) to move down to the ground or to a lower level:

He was sitting in a tree and refused to come down.

a ) if rain, snow, etc. comes down, it falls to the ground, especially in large amounts

b ) if an aircraft comes down, it lands or crashes

c ) if a building or part of it comes down, it is destroyed and falls to the ground

2. ) to become less in amount, level, price, etc.:

The national debt has come down significantly in the last eight years.

a ) to agree to ask for or pay a lower price:

They are not willing to come down in price.

3. ) to travel to a place that is farther south or is smaller or less important than the place you are leaving:

My parents are coming down for the weekend.

─ opposite COME UP

4. ) to make a decision that supports or opposes someone or something:

Everything depends on which side the judge comes down on.

come down in favor of/against: The zoning board came down in favor of demolishing the entire block.

5. ) to continue to exist from a long time ago:

the version of the story that has come down to us

6. ) to be long or deep enough to reach a particular lower point or level:

come down to/as far as: The jacket came down almost to his knees.

7. ) INFORMAL to start to feel normal again after a powerful illegal drug has stopped affecting you

come down in someone's estimation/opinion

to become less respected by someone than you were before, because of something you have done

come down in the world

to become less rich, powerful, successful, etc. than you were previously

,come `down on phrasal verb transitive

come down on someone to criticize or punish someone severely:

She came down pretty hard on the children for making a mess.

,come `down to phrasal verb transitive

1. ) come down to something to be the most important aspect of a situation or problem:

In the end, it all comes down to money.

2. ) come down to someone to become someone's property because the previous owner has died

,come `down with phrasal verb transitive

come down with something to become sick with a particular disease, usually one that is not serious

`come for phrasal verb transitive

1. ) come for someone/something to come to a place so that you can take someone or something away with you:

The taxi will come for us at around 8 o'clock.

I've just come for the book your brother borrowed from me.

a ) come for someone to come to a place in order to arrest someone:

The police came for him in the middle of the night.

2. ) come for someone same as COME AT 1

,come `forward phrasal verb intransitive

to offer help or information:

The National Blood Service is anxious for more donors to come forward.

come forward with: Police said that several people had come forward with information about the attack.

`come from phrasal verb transitive

1. ) come from someone/something to be obtained from, produced by, or found in a particular place or thing:

The serum comes from a tropical plant.

Opposition may also come from hardliners within his own party.

I can't tell where the noise is coming from, can you?

a ) come from something to have something as an origin:

The word comes from an African language.

2. ) come from something to have been born in a particular place:

My parents came from Italy.

a ) to have your home in a particular place:

We come from Texas.

b ) to belong to a particular type of family or social group:

His wife comes from a pretty rich family.

They all come from similar backgrounds.

3. ) come from something to be the result of something:

His air of confidence came from his firm belief that he was the best candidate for the job.

come from doing something: It's the kind of accident that comes from being careless.

coming from someone

used for emphasizing that what someone is saying is surprising, annoying, or funny:

Coming from him, that's praise indeed!

where someone is coming from INFORMAL

the ideas, intentions, or feelings that make someone say a particular thing or behave in a particular way

,come `in phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) to enter a room, building, or other place:

Come in and sit down.

2. ) to arrive somewhere:

What time does his train come in?

3. ) if something such as a message comes in, it is received by someone:

Reports are coming in of a major air accident.

a ) if money comes in, it is earned or received by someone:

We've got absolutely no money coming in at the moment.

4. ) to join a conversation or discussion by saying something:

I'd like to come in here and make a suggestion.

5. ) to join other people who are involved in something such as a business project:

come in on: If your friend wants to come in on the deal, he'll need to put a lot of money on the table.

come in with: I'm looking for people to come in with me on a new restaurant venture.

6. ) when the TIDE comes in, the sea moves higher up the beach

─ opposite GO OUT

7. ) to become fashionable at a particular time

8. ) if something such as a law or practice comes in, it starts to be used or done

9. ) to finish a race in a particular position:

come in first/second/third etc.: My horse came in third.

come in useful/handy

to be useful for a particular situation:

A big sheet of plastic always comes in handy when you're camping.

where someone/something comes in

what someone or something is needed for:

We'll need new information systems, and that's where Steve comes in.

,come `in for phrasal verb transitive

come in for something to receive something such as criticism:

Fast food has come in for further criticism in a report published today.

,come `into phrasal verb transitive come into something

1. ) to be an aspect of a situation:

The argument was over artistic freedom money never came into it.

2. ) if you come into something, it becomes yours when someone dies

come into your own

to show how effective or useful you can be:

In the wintry conditions the Norwegian team really came into their own.

`come of phrasal verb transitive

come of something to be the result of something:

I wrote to over twenty companies asking for work, but nothing came of my efforts.

that's what comes of (doing) something: Don't complain about being tired that's what comes of watching TV until three in the morning.

,come `off phrasal verb

1. ) intransitive or transitive come off something if something such as dirt or paint comes off something, it is removed by washing or rubbing:

The chewing gum wouldn't come off.

a ) to stop being attached to something:

I pulled at the drawer, and the handle came off.

One of the legs has come off the table.

2. ) intransitive or transitive come off something to fall off something that you are riding:

She'd come off her new bike and hurt her knee.

3. ) intransitive to succeed:

What if their plan doesn't come off?

The party didn't quite come off as we had hoped.

4. ) intransitive to achieve a particular result in an activity, especially a competition or fight:

come off well/badly/best/worst: He came off quite badly in the exchange of insults.

5. ) intransitive to leave a sports field and be replaced by another member of your team

6. ) transitive come off something to stop taking something such as a medicine or drug

come off it SPOKEN

1. ) used for telling someone to stop doing or saying something

2. ) used for telling someone that you do not believe them or that what they are saying is stupid

,come `on phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) to start working by being switched on:

I saw a light come on in an upstairs window.

a ) to start to be broadcast:

We all had to be quiet when the news came on.

b ) to start to appear in a television or radio program:

Then the president comes on and tells everyone to spend more money.

c ) if an illness comes on, it starts to affect you:

I can feel another headache coming on.

2. ) to arrive on a stage:

When he came on, the audience finally began to show some interest.

a ) to arrive on a sports field in order to replace another member of your team:

He came on as a substitute.

come on for someone (=replace them): Miller came on for his injured teammate with only two minutes left in the game.

come on SPOKEN

1. ) used for telling someone to hurry:

Come on! We're going to be late.

2. ) used for encouraging someone to do something such as make a greater effort or stop being sad:

Come on! It's not the end of the world.

3. ) used for telling someone that you do not believe what they are saying

4. ) used for trying to make someone fight you

come on strong INFORMAL

to show very clearly that you are determined to do something, especially to start a sexual relationship with someone

`come on phrasal verb transitive

come on someone/something to meet someone or find something by chance:

We came on an injured animal lying at the side of the road.

,come `on to phrasal verb transitive

1. ) come on to someone INFORMAL to behave toward someone in a way that shows you would like to have a sexual relationship with them

2. ) come on to or come to come on to/to something to start to deal with a new subject in a discussion:

We'll come on to the politics of the situation in a moment.

,come `out phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) if something such as a book or a movie comes out, it becomes available to buy or see:

We've recorded a new album, and it's coming out in the spring.

a ) to become easy to notice:

These differences don't come out until you put the two groups in a room together.

b ) if the sun, moon, or stars come out, they start to be able to be seen in the sky

c ) if a flower comes out, it opens

2. ) if something comes out, it becomes known:

He said it'll all come out in court.

it comes out that: It eventually came out that she was already married.

3. ) to be spoken, heard, or understood in a particular way:

I didn't mean it to come out as a criticism.

come out (all) wrong: She had only meant to defend herself, but it had come out all wrong.

4. ) if a photograph comes out, the chemical process that produces it is successful

a ) to have a particular appearance in a photograph:

The color of her eyes hasn't really come out.

5. ) to have a particular result or end in a particular way:

It's impossible at this stage to judge how the vote will come out.

come out (all) right in the end: I'm sure it will all come out all right in the end.

a ) come out at to be a particular number or amount that is the result of a calculation or measurement:

The total comes out at well over $10,000.

6. ) to be removed from something such as clothing or cloth by washing or rubbing

a ) to stop being attached somewhere:

Another of her baby teeth came out yesterday.

7. ) to state a decision or opinion officially or publicly:

come out in favor of/against (doing) something: The commission has come out against the takeover.

a ) to say something in an open, honest, or public way that often makes someone feel surprised, embarrassed, or offended:

come (right) out and say something: We were all thinking he'd made a mistake, but nobody would come out and say it.

b ) to tell people that you are gay:

come out to: Coming out to her parents was the hardest part.

8. ) OLD-FASHIONED if a young woman comes out, she formally becomes part of society by going to a special party or other social event for the first time

9. ) BRITISH to stop working as a protest: STRIKE:

come out on strike: It seemed clear that the workers would come out on strike.

,come `out in phrasal verb transitive BRITISH

come out in something to become covered in spots because you are sick or your body reacts to a food or medicine:

She can't eat shellfish without coming out in spots.

,come `out of phrasal verb transitive

come out of something to be the result of something:

I hope some good will come out of all this.

come out of yourself

to stop being shy and become more confident and relaxed with other people

,come `out with phrasal verb transitive

come out with something to say something suddenly, usually something that surprises or shocks people:

You never know what the children are going to come out with.

,come `over phrasal verb

1. ) intransitive to visit someone in the place where they are, especially their house:

Why don't you come over for dinner?

come over to: Come over to my place and we'll discuss it.

a ) to travel to a place, especially a long way across water in order to live in a new country:

Her great-grandparents came over from Ireland in the nineteenth century.

2. ) intransitive same as COME ACROSS 2

3. ) intransitive same as COME ACROSS 3

4. ) transitive come over someone if a feeling comes over you, it suddenly affects you in a strong way:

A wave of anger came over him.

5. ) linking verb BRITISH INFORMAL to react in a particular way:

I came over all emotional when I saw him.

not know what has come over someone

to be unable to explain why someone is behaving in such a strange way:

He's not normally so rude I don't know what's come over him.

,come `over to phrasal verb transitive

come over to someone/something to change your position or opinion and start supporting someone you were arguing or fighting with:

The president announced that there would be an amnesty for all who now came over to him.

,come `round phrasal verb intransitive BRITISH

same as COME AROUND

,come `through phrasal verb

1. ) transitive come through something to be still alive, working, or making progress after a difficult or dangerous experience:

It's been a very upsetting time but we've come through it together.

2. ) intransitive if something such as a signal or a message comes through, you receive it

a ) if a document that you are expecting comes through, it is sent to you:

The job offer still hasn't come through.

3. ) intransitive if a feeling or quality that someone or something has comes through, it can be clearly understood or seen

4. ) intransitive to do something that you have agreed or promised to do:

The team came through when it mattered.

`come to phrasal verb transitive

1. ) come to someone if something comes to you, you think of it or remember it:

The idea came to me while we were on vacation.

Her name will come to me in a minute.

it comes to someone that: It came to her that it was foolish to expect him to help.

2. ) come to something to reach a particular state or point, especially one that is bad or unpleasant:

If it comes to war, NATO forces will be stronger in the air.

a ) used for emphasizing how bad a situation is and how shocked or upset you are about it:

something has come to this: So, has our relationship come to this? Two people with nothing to say to each other.

what something is coming to: You wonder what the world is coming to when young children are dying of hunger.

3. ) come to something to reach a particular total when everything is added together:

With salaries and overtime the bill came to $752,000.

4. ) come to something same as COME ON TO 2

5. ) come to someone to become someone's property, especially because the previous owner has died

6. ) come to something to finally achieve a particular level of success:

come to nothing/something/not much etc.: His teachers all agreed that he wouldn't come to anything much.

when it comes to (doing) something

when the subject being discussed is a particular thing:

When it comes to vacations, I prefer the beach to the mountains.

When it comes to writing letters, she's hopeless.

,come `to phrasal verb intransitive

same as COME AROUND 2

,come to`gether phrasal verb intransitive

to finally start to work together successfully

`come ,under phrasal verb transitive

1. ) come under something to be forced to experience something unpleasant:

The department had come under criticism for poor performance.

come under scrutiny/suspicion: Airport security will now come under increased scrutiny.

come under pressure: President Bush has come under pressure to step up the sanctions.

2. ) come under someone/something to be the responsibility of a particular person or institution:

Issues relating to pay come under the personnel department.

3. ) come under something to belong to a particular group or class:

Bread and pasta come under carbohydrates.

,come `up phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) if a problem comes up, it happens and needs to be dealt with immediately:

I'm going to have to cancel our lunch something's come up.

a ) to be mentioned and need to be considered:

A number of interesting points came up at today's meeting.

b ) always progressive to be about to happen soon:

We've got a busy period coming up in a couple of weeks.

2. ) to move toward someone, usually because you want to talk to them:

come up to: Strangers come up to him in the street and say how much they enjoy his books.

3. ) if something such as a job comes up, it becomes available

4. ) if the sun, moon, or stars come up, they start to appear in the sky

a ) if a plant comes up, it starts to appear above the ground

5. ) to travel to a place that is farther north or is larger or more important than the place you are leaving:

My mother's coming up from Florida for the wedding.

─ opposite COME DOWN

6. ) if food that you have eaten comes up, your stomach forces it out through your mouth

7. ) to be judged in a court of law:

His case comes up next week.

8. ) to be tall, deep, or long enough to reach a particular higher point or level:

come up to/as far as: The grass in the garden came up to her knees.

9. ) if your ticket or name comes up in a LOTTERY or similar game, it is chosen as a winner

come up in the world

to become richer, more powerful, or more successful than before

coming (right) up

used for saying that you will bring what someone has asked for very soon

,come `up a,gainst phrasal verb transitive

come up against something to have to deal with something difficult or unpleasant:

In the first week, we came up against a pretty tricky problem.

,come `up for phrasal verb transitive

come up for something to reach the time when something should happen:

The contract comes up for review next month.

,come `up to phrasal verb transitive come up to something

1. ) to get nearer to a particular time or stage in a process:

As we come up to the end of the first half, the score remains Knicks 53, Miami 48.

2. ) to be as good as you want, need, or expect something to be:

It's hard for others to come up to the very high standards she sets for herself.

,come `up with phrasal verb transitive come up with something

1. ) to think of something such as an idea or a plan:

Is that the best you can come up with?

2. ) to produce or provide something that people want:

We're in big trouble if we don't come up with the money by 6 o'clock.

`come up,on phrasal verb transitive MAINLY LITERARY

come upon someone/something to meet someone or find something by chance

`come with phrasal verb transitive

come with something to exist or develop as a result of something:

the kind of skill that comes with years of practice

come

come 2 [ kʌm ] noun uncount IMPOLITE

a man's SEMEN

come

come 3 [ kʌm ] preposition INFORMAL

at a particular time in the future or when a particular event happens:

Come summer, all the building work should be finished.