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

Official statistics are hard to come by, but town residents — several of whom asked to be identified by only first names to protect their safety — estimated around 80 cars were set aflame in a municipality of just 20,000 people. —Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026

That’s wins in 10 straight road outings for the Hornets, who also own the NBA’s longest current longest overall win streak at six games — with all the triumphs coming by at least 16 points. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2026

King and Burleson are likely be joined in weeks to come by a rotation of guest hosts who could hail from CBS’ own talent roster, according to a person familiar with the matter, or might just be celebrities or notables ready to hang out in the studio. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Mar. 2026

The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother, but solid information in the case has been hard to come by. —ABC News, 5 Mar. 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