come down

verb

came down; come down; coming down; comes down

intransitive verb

1

: to lose or fall in estate or condition

has come down in the world

2

a

: to pass by tradition

a story that has come down from medieval times

b

: to pass from a usually high source

Word came down that the strike was over.

3

: to place oneself in opposition

came down hard on gambling

4

a

: to deal with a subject directly

When you come down to it, we all depend on others.

b

: to reduce itself : amount

it comes down to this

5

: to become ill

came down with measles

6

: come out sense 2a

7

: go on, happen

what's coming down

Synonyms of come down

• happen
• be
• come
• occur
• come about

Examples of come down in a Sentence

let's wait and see what comes down at the meeting

Recent Examples on the Web

Game 2 came down to the wire with the score tied at 104 with 10 seconds to go. —Jack Dunn, Variety, 9 June 2026

So much of it comes down to economics, to not being freed from unethical labor practices. —Literary Hub, 9 June 2026

The game included seven triple stumpers and came down to Final Jeopardy! —Usa Today Staff, USA Today, 9 June 2026

The case for booking one comes down to four things a guidebook can’t replicate. —Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for come down

• chinatown
• tumbledown
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown

Kids Definition

comedown

1 of 2 noun

come·​down ˈkəm-ˌdau̇n 

: a falling in status, position, or reputation

come down

2 of 2 verb

(ˌ)kəm-ˈdau̇n

: to fall sick

came down with the flu

Legal Definition

come down

intransitive verb

came down; coming down

: to be announced

the decision came down from the Supreme Court