come by

verb

came by; come by; coming by; comes by

transitive verb

: to get possession of : acquire

a good job is hard to come by

intransitive verb

: to make a visit

came by after dinner

Synonyms

• call
• come over
• drop by
• drop in
• pop (in)
• run (over)
• run in
• step in
• stop (by or in)
• visit

Examples of come by in a Sentence

come by after work and I'll give you some clothes for the rummage sale

a literary award like that isn't easy to come by

Recent Examples on the Web

Cassidy comes by his fandom of all the artists naturally, and over the vast majority of his life. —Chris Willman, Variety, 22 May 2024

After the burial, the living can come by the grave, log into an app for security, and see how much of the flesh has rotted away on a screen embedded in the tombstone. —Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

come by

verb

1

: to make a visit

come by after dinner

2

: acquire

good help is hard to come by