come by

verb

came by; come by; coming by; comes by

transitive verb

: to get possession of : acquire

A good job is hard to come by.

intransitive verb

: to make a visit

came by after dinner

Synonyms of come by

• visit
• run in
• drop by
• drop in

Examples of come by in a Sentence

come by after work and I'll give you some clothes for the rummage sale

a literary award like that isn't easy to come by

Recent Examples on the Web

These cost savings will come by reducing rising trash bills and the need for pollution remediation efforts. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 2 Aug. 2026

The musical shifts, in part, come by way of Flores leaning into outer-genre arrangements, teaming up with the likes of pop and rock juggernaut producers like Charlie Handsome (Post Malone/Morgan Wallen), JKash (Dua Lipa) and Gian Stone (Maroon 5). — Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026

But Jo stresses that the real scientific contributions will come by studying the moments after the impact. — Leonard David, Space.com, 30 July 2026

The little worker with the broom came by, passed them, moved right along. — Sheila Heti, New Yorker, 26 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for come by

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi

Kids Definition

come by

verb

1

: to make a visit

come by after dinner

2

: acquire

good help is hard to come by