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

This Elvis comes across confident, breezy, comfortable and funny. —Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2026

This new film stars Alan Ritchson as an Army Ranger who while on a training mission comes across a deadly machine that relentlessly hunts him and his peers. —ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026

Floyd comes across as a purely kind soul, making his willingness to cheat on his wife seem out of character. —Judy Berman, Time, 26 Feb. 2026

While plowing through waist-deep powder in Tahoe, California, two skiers came across a third buried below the surface. —Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 26 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for come across

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