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

Quality looks were difficult to come by for both teams. —Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026

Later on, some nights at his house, a fist of a man would come by to deliver a black tank of whey protein the size of a mini keg to bulk Rourke up. —Steve Garbarino, HollywoodReporter, 22 Jan. 2026

But the $180 million pledged by the governor is coming by way of alternative compliance payments and rate deferrals, which means ratepayers will end up paying the difference of the savings during the warmer, off-peak months. —Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026

The loss was Milwaukee’s fourth in the last five games, with three of those defeats coming by double-figures. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for come by

• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi
• certify

Kids Definition

come by

verb

1

: to make a visit

come by after dinner

2

: acquire

good help is hard to come by