come

1 of 2

verb

ˈkəm 

came ˈkām  ; come; coming ˈkə-miŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move toward something : approach

Come here.

b

: to move or journey to a vicinity with a specified purpose

Come see us.

Come and see what's going on.

c(1)

: to reach a particular station in a series

Now we come to the section on health.

(2)

: to arrive in due course

The time has come to make your decision.

Has the mail come yet?

d(1)

: to approach in kind or quality

This comes near perfection.

(2)

: to reach a condition or conclusion

came to regard them as friends

Come to think of it, you may be right.

The screw came loose.

e(1)

: to advance toward accomplishment : come along

The job is coming nicely.

(2)

: to advance in a particular manner

Come running when I call.

(3)

: to advance, rise, or improve in rank or condition

has come a long way

f

: extend

The dress comes to the ankles.

2

a(1)

: to arrive at a particular place, end, result, or conclusion

came to his senses

come untied

He came to regret his choice.

(2)

: amount

The taxes on it come to more than it's worth.

b(1)

: to appear to the mind

The answer came to them.

(2)

: to appear on a scene : make an appearance

Children come equipped to learn any language.

c(1)

: happen, occur

No harm will come to you.

(2)

: to come to pass : take place

—used in the subjunctive with inverted subject and verb to express the particular time or occasion

Come spring the days will be longer.

d

: originate, arise

Wine comes from grapes.

They come from sturdy stock.

e

: to enter or assume a condition, position, or relation

The artillery came into action.

f

: to fall within a field of view or a range of application

This comes within the terms of the treaty.

g

: to issue forth

A sob came from my throat.

h

: to take form

Churn till the butter comes.

i

: to be available

This model comes in several sizes.

as good as they come

j

or less commonly cum

ˈkəm 

often vulgar : to experience orgasm

3

: to fall to a person in a division or inheritance of property

Several thousand dollars came to them from their grandparents.

4

obsolete : to become moved favorably : relent

5

: to turn out to be

Good clothes don't come cheap.

6

: become

a dream that came true

transitive verb

1

: to approach or be near (an age)

a child coming eight years old

2

: to take on the aspect of

come the stern parent

see also:

come a cropper come across come again come clean come into come into one's own come of age come off it come over come to come to grief come to grips with come to oneself come to pass come to terms come upon to come

come

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly cum

1

often vulgar : semen

2

often vulgar : orgasm

Synonyms of come

Verb

• approach
• enter

Examples of come in a Sentence

Verb

Please come here for a minute. I want to show you something.

She came quietly into the room.

He came home late again last night.

The dog began to growl as we came closer.

The captain of the ship invited us to come aboard.

People come from all over the country to see him.

Some people came by car while others came by plane.

Why don't you come and stay with us for a while?

About a hundred people are coming to the wedding.

People come many miles to visit the shrine.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Save 60 percent on both this chalk white color (our favorite bright option for spring) and the solid black color that both come with brass hardware. —Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026

There had been a fear coming into the week that the players might cause a work stoppage that would have postponed the season-opening game. —Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 8 Mar. 2026

History buffs can come learn more about the most cherished collections on display, such as glowing minerals. —Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2026

Then came the outbreak of a wasting illness called stony coral tissue loss disease - which spread from the area near the Port of Miami around the time of its 2014 dredging project - and a record heat wave in 2023. —Arkansas Online, 8 Mar. 2026

Until that first little later afternoon chill comes with the drop of the sun. —Alexandra Pereira, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026

Eric Musselman sat behind a microphone at the bitter end of a bitter regular season for USC, armed only with the same explanations for how a once-hopeful season could come so undone. —Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026

The Hurricanes came oh-so-close before falling short, 92-89. —Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2026

As is Costco’s new Flame Seared Chargrilled Chipotle Chicken, which comes already marinated and cooked in a 10-serving package. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Mar. 2026

Noun

Now, both teams head to the Big Ten tournament with opposite momentum and very different stakes, though any number of wins for UCLA can’t hurt its seeding come Selection Sunday. —Sean Campbell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026

On Sunday afternoon, Nathan MacKinnon scored the decisive goal in a shootout, lifting the Avalanche to a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Wild in their final meeting of the regular season. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026

Iran is likely to stay highly relevant come 2028, too. —Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 5 Mar. 2026

Even a small math error can result in a balance due come April. —Sakinah Tillman, Baltimore Sun, 28 Feb. 2026

As with Future of Music, limited first-come, first- serve entry will be available for Platinum and Music badge holders, as well as Music festival wristband holders. —Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 27 Feb. 2026

Or, try to get a first come/first serve spot at Texas Springs Campground, which has mountain views and some sites shaded from trees ($20 per site). —Graham Averill, Outside, 23 Feb. 2026

The 2026 Winter Olympics wrapped up in thrilling fashion Sunday with the USA men's hockey team getting the gold by beating Canada in overtime — days after the USA women's hockey team also beat the Canadians in an electrifying come-from-behind victory to win gold. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026

Many are paid lots, but free street parking is available on a first-come, first served basis. —Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English cuman; akin to Old High German queman to come, Latin venire, Greek bainein to walk, go

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1923, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing come

• as boring as they come
• as clever as they come
• as (something) as they come
• become/come unstuck
• come about
• come a cropper
• come across
• come across as
• come adrift
• come after
• come again
• come alive
• come-along
• come a long way
• come and go
• come apart
• come apart at the seams
• come/appeared on the scene
• come around
• come around to
• come as
• come as a (complete/total) surprise
• come as a revelation
• come as no surprise
• come at
• come at a premium
• come away from
• come back
• come back from
• come back from the dead
• come back to
• come back to bite one
• come back to haunt
• come back to haunt us
• come back with
• come between
• come by
• come cheap
• come clean
• come close
• come crashing down
• come/crawl out of the woodwork
• come down
• come down against
• come down from
• come down hard on
• come down in favor of
• come down in the world
• come down on
• come down on the side of
• come down the pike
• come down the pipeline
• come down to
• come down with
• come due
• come easy
• come/fall apart at the seams
• come first
• come/follow close/hard/hot on something's heels
• come/follow close/hard/hot on the heels of (something)
• come forward
• come from
• come from money
• come/get to the point
• come/go crawling to
• come/go on the air
• come/go to the rescue of
• come hell or high water
• come-hither
• come home to
• come home to roost
• come in
• come in for
• come in from the cold
• come in handy
• come in/into bloom
• come in/into contact with
• come in on
• come into
• come into being
• come into conflict
• come into existence
• come into favor
• come into flower
• come into one's own
• come into play
• come into question
• come into the world
• come into use
• come in useful
• come in useful/helpful
• come in/within sight of (something)
• come/jump to someone's defense
• come last
• come naturally
• come of age
• come off
• come off as
• come off it
• come off second best
• come-on
• come on as
• come one, come all
• come on strong
• come on the market
• come on to
• come out
• come out against
• come-outer
• come out in favor of
• come out of
• come out of hiding
• come out of left field
• come out of nowhere
• come out of retirement
• come out on top
• come out/up smelling like a rose
• come out/up smelling like/of roses
• come out with
• come over
• come over to
• come/pop into one's head
• come rain or (come) shine
• come round
• come running
• come short of
• come/spring/leap to mind
• come through
• come to
• come to a bad end
• come to a grinding halt
• come to a halt
• come to an end
• come to an understanding
• come to a stop
• come to blows
• come together
• come to grief
• come to grips with
• come to/into someone's mind
• come-to-Jesus moment
• come to life
• come to light
• come to naught
• come to no good
• come to nothing
• come to oneself
• come to one's senses
• come to pass
• come to pieces
• come to public notice
• come to rest
• come to someone's assistance
• come to someone's attention
• come to terms
• come to the conclusion
• come to the realization
• come to think of it
• come to trial
• come true
• come/turn up trumps
• come under
• come under attack
• come under fire
• come unglued
• come unstuck
• come up
• come up against
• come up dry
• come up empty
• come up from/through the ranks
• come upon
• come up short
• come up short of
• come up to
• come up with
• come up with the goods
• come what may
• come with the territory
• dream come true
• easy come, easy go
• first come, first serve
• first come, first served
• good things come in small packages
• how come
• it will all come out in the wash
• Johnny-come-lately
• kingdom come
• not come/go amiss
• on a first-come, first-served basis
• taste of things to come
• the best is yet to come/be
• the life to come
• the shape of things to come
• the time has come
• till/until the cows come home
• to come
• to come under attack
• to kingdom come
• waiting for her ship to come in
• wheels come/fall off
• when you come (right) down to it
• where do you come off?
• whose time has come

Rhymes for come

• bum
• chum
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum
• hum

Kids Definition

come

verb

(ˈ)kəm

came

ˈkām

; come; coming

ˈkəm-iŋ

1

: to move toward or journey to something : approach

come here

come see us

2

: to arrive at or enter a scene of action

the police came to our rescue

3

a

: to reach the point of being or becoming

the rope came untied

b

: to add up : amount

the bill came to $10

4

: to take place

the holiday came on Thursday

5

: originate sense 2, arise

honey comes from bees

6

: to be available

the dress comes in three colors

7

: extend sense 4, reach

a coat that comes to the knees

8

a

: to arrive at a place, end, result, or conclusion

came to their senses

we now come to the next chapter

b

: happen sense 5

no harm will come to you

9

: to fall within the range or limits of something

comes under the terms of the treaty

10

: to turn out to be : become

her dreams have come true

comer

ˈkəm-ər

noun