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

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

Expansion onto the mainstream scene likely comes by way of popular music, movies, and social media, which have made African-American language visible to young people of other backgrounds. — Valerie Fridland, Time, 22 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