come by

verb

came by; come by; coming by; comes by
Synonyms of come bynext

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.
The task sounds innocuous enough but, because the country is in the grip of sanctions, every single ingredient that nine-year-old Lamia (Baneen Ahmad Nayyef) might use to make her cake is near-impossible to come by. The Week Uk, TheWeek, 19 Feb. 2026 When scoring seemed hard to come by for everybody besides Peterson Wednesday night, Jackson provided valuable points off the bench. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026 No one else on the Braves consistently found scoring opportunities, and perimeter shots were hard to come by for his teammates. Dan Rios, Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026 The younger Tkachuks come by their style honestly. Becky Sullivan, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026 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 20 Feb. 2026.

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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