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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And as much as the original discovery of the card came by chance, the card’s sale to Harris felt just as improbable. Larry Holder, New York Times, 22 June 2025 Recent ups and downs Wins have been hard to come by for Florida Democrats. Siena Duncan, Miami Herald, 22 June 2025 Whatever held the Baileys together, whatever kept them alive, was stranger and plainer than love, harder to come by, and even harder to explain. Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025 Pagans come by the thousands to Stonehenge, the prehistoric ruins of a monument built between approximately 3100 and 1600 BC. Julia Gomez, USA Today, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for come by

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of come by was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Come by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20by. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

come by

verb
1
: to make a visit
come by after dinner
2
: acquire
good help is hard to come by
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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