come up

verb

came up; come up; coming up; comes up

intransitive verb

1
2
: to come near : make an approach
came up and introduced himself
3
: to rise in rank or status
an officer who came up from the ranks
4
a
: to come to attention or consideration
the question never came up
b
: to occur in the course of time
any problem that may come up
5
: to turn out to be
the coin came up tails
6
chiefly dialectal : grow up
Phrases
come up empty
: to fail to achieve a desired result
come up with
: to produce especially in dealing with a problem or challenge
came up with a solution

Examples of come up in a Sentence

the girl came up to the counter and asked if she could have her order prepared to go let me know if anything else comes up during the project
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.
Sanderson and Orullian initially came up with the idea for the series in the early 2000s. Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025 The seat will come up for reelection in 2026. Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025 Ask any Allure editor about eyeliners, and a felt-tip liquid option is bound to come up—like Stila’s Best of Beauty Award-winning Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner. Lily Wohlner, Allure, 24 Sep. 2025 But, the first drawing of the day, the midday Fantasy 5, came up 4, 30, 31, 35 and 36, perfect for a high number player at a 7-Eleven, 401 Seabreeze Ave. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for come up

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of come up was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Come up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20up. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

come up

verb
1
: rise entry 1 sense 4
the sun comes up in an hour
2
: to come near or approach
came up and introduced himself
3
: to come to attention : introduce sense 4
the question came up again
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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