come close
idiom
1
: to almost do something
We didn't win, but we came close.
—often + toThe band came very close to breaking up.
We came close to winning the championship this season.
2
: to be similar to something or as good as expected
She said they taste just like real hot dogs, but they don't even come close (to the real thing).
Examples of come close in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While most modern humans don’t come anywhere near hypercarnivory, a few exceptional populations have historically reached, or come close to, that threshold.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The film’s humor doesn’t necessarily translate, and the animation style doesn’t come close to the medium’s most artistic work.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025
Yes, that's 2 million fewer than viewed the YouTube game, but the difference doesn't come close to being strategically interesting.
—Contessa Brewer,alex Sherman, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
Conservative members of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party are reportedly worried that the party’s resigned leader and country’s outgoing Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, may come close to issuing the most ardent apology for Japan’s actions in World War II.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
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Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The film’s humor doesn’t necessarily translate, and the animation style doesn’t come close to the medium’s most artistic work.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025
Yes, that's 2 million fewer than viewed the YouTube game, but the difference doesn't come close to being strategically interesting.
—Contessa Brewer,alex Sherman, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
Conservative members of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party are reportedly worried that the party’s resigned leader and country’s outgoing Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, may come close to issuing the most ardent apology for Japan’s actions in World War II.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for come close
Cite this Entry
“Come close.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20close. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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