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

Synonyms

• 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

Freddie's breed can come across as less threatening than other, larger dogs, creating a calmer environment for everyone. —Adam Hudacek, CBS News, 9 July 2025

But first, in episode three, Cousins goes to Great Clips in what comes across as a fishing expedition to be the next Great Clips spokesperson. —Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025

The email conveys the same information that can be found on ICE's website but comes across in the email as an invitation, with a link to learn more. —Ray Stern, AZCentral.com, 8 July 2025

One mom from Iowa came across one of Erin’s videos on Christmas Eve — almost a year after Erin began sharing publicly. —Jordan Greene, People.com, 8 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for come across

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