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

The way the loss came about should be raising alarm bells inside the US camp. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

Lands' statement came about as a part of the Cultural Landscape Foundation's lawsuit against the Interior Department over the president's Reflecting Pool paint job. — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 25 June 2026

The collection came about in a time of uncertainty and fear in the immigrant community, Galvan said, as federal immigration enforcement crackdowns wracked the region. — Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026

The case comes about three years after another major foreclosure case where the justices ruled against local governments. — ABC News, 23 June 2026

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