come about

verb

came about; come about; coming about; comes about

intransitive verb

1

: happen

2

: to change direction

the wind has come about into the north

3

: to shift to a new tack

Synonyms of come about

• happen
• be
• come down
• come
• occur

Examples of come about in a Sentence

how did all this come about?

Recent Examples on the Web

So is that how the idea of sending the album out with a Walkman came about? —Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025

The search comes about one year after 43 Rhesus macaques escaped from a South Carolina compound that breeds them for medical research because an employee didn’t fully lock an enclosure. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025

An announcement canceling the tour came about 12 hours after his release from jail. —Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Nov. 2025

This is a potentially life-threatening, severe illness that comes about when certain acids in your body (ketones) accumulate in your blood due to a lack of insulin, per the NHS. —Caroline C. Boyle, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for come about

• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout
• dugout

Kids Definition

come about

verb

1

: happen sense 2

2

: to change direction

the wind has come about into the north