come close

idiom

1
: to almost do something
We didn't win, but we came close.
often + to
The band came very close to breaking up.
We came close to winning the championship this season.
2
: to be similar to something or as good as expected
She said they taste just like real hot dogs, but they don't even come close (to the real thing).

Examples of come close in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
How many stadiums have come close to filling all of their seats? Will Jeanes, New York Times, 28 June 2025 On April 8, when stocks were on the verge of plunging into a bear market, few Wall Street experts were predicting that the market would come close to a record high just 80 days later. David Goldman, CNN Money, 27 June 2025 As a result, projecting which clubs will come close to peak form isn’t easy. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 June 2025 As a result, the book doesn’t come close to explaining her country’s confounding transformation during the two years it was sealed off from the outside world, suspended in an increasingly claustrophobic COVID bubble. Rachel Morris, New Yorker, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for come close

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Come close.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20close. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!