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

This is where the creation of the aforementioned fictional Barrow’s Green came about, which eventually came to life in the form of The Six Bells Inn. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Aug. 2026

Dane says the idea came about last summer when his solo tour fell through. — Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Aidan’s birth comes about a year after Olivera and Heavy went public with their relationship in 2025. — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026

There is far more to this story than what has appeared in the headlines, including important context surrounding how these allegations came about. — David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 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