come across

verb

came across; come across; coming across; comes across

intransitive verb

1

: to give over or furnish something demanded

especially : to pay over money

2

: to produce an impression

comes across as a good speaker

3

: come through sense 2

transitive verb

: to meet, find, or encounter especially by chance

Researchers have come across important new evidence.

Synonyms of come across

• seem
• feel
• look
• sound

Examples of come across in a Sentence

the law professor comes across as a bit of an ogre at first, but he's actually quite personable

Recent Examples on the Web

Last summer the hairstylist came across photographs of a stately Georgian manor in the Cotswolds, a two-hour drive west of London. — Laura Regensdorf, Architectural Digest, 20 Aug. 2026

Perusing Texas high school football on X, came across the following names and immediately thought of you! — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Did her grandmother, who comes across as stoic and pragmatic in many ways, influence her portrayal of the similarly-minded Tova? — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026

Five years after moving to Saskatchewan, Lawler came across an unusual report. — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for come across

• albatross
• applesauce
• barabbas
• helios
• kshatriyas
• menelaus
• backcross
• crisscross
• lacrosse
• recross
• tomas
• blas