come

1 of 2

verb

ˈkəm 

came ˈkām  ; come; coming ˈkə-miŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move toward something : approach

Come here.

b

: to move or journey to a vicinity with a specified purpose

Come see us.

Come and see what's going on.

c(1)

: to reach a particular station in a series

Now we come to the section on health.

(2)

: to arrive in due course

The time has come to make your decision.

Has the mail come yet?

d(1)

: to approach in kind or quality

This comes near perfection.

(2)

: to reach a condition or conclusion

came to regard them as friends

Come to think of it, you may be right.

The screw came loose.

e(1)

: to advance toward accomplishment : come along

The job is coming nicely.

(2)

: to advance in a particular manner

Come running when I call.

(3)

: to advance, rise, or improve in rank or condition

has come a long way

f

: extend

The dress comes to the ankles.

2

a(1)

: to arrive at a particular place, end, result, or conclusion

came to his senses

come untied

He came to regret his choice.

(2)

: amount

The taxes on it come to more than it's worth.

b(1)

: to appear to the mind

The answer came to them.

(2)

: to appear on a scene : make an appearance

Children come equipped to learn any language.

c(1)

: happen, occur

No harm will come to you.

(2)

: to come to pass : take place

—used in the subjunctive with inverted subject and verb to express the particular time or occasion

Come spring the days will be longer.

d

: originate, arise

Wine comes from grapes.

They come from sturdy stock.

e

: to enter or assume a condition, position, or relation

The artillery came into action.

f

: to fall within a field of view or a range of application

This comes within the terms of the treaty.

g

: to issue forth

A sob came from my throat.

h

: to take form

Churn till the butter comes.

i

: to be available

This model comes in several sizes.

as good as they come

j

or less commonly cum

ˈkəm 

often vulgar : to experience orgasm

3

: to fall to a person in a division or inheritance of property

Several thousand dollars came to them from their grandparents.

4

obsolete : to become moved favorably : relent

5

: to turn out to be

Good clothes don't come cheap.

6

: become

a dream that came true

transitive verb

1

: to approach or be near (an age)

a child coming eight years old

2

: to take on the aspect of

come the stern parent

come

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly cum

1

often vulgar : semen

2

often vulgar : orgasm

Phrases

come a cropper

: to fail completely

The plan came a cropper.

come across

: to meet, find, or encounter especially by chance

Researchers have come across important new evidence.

come again

: repeat

also : to speak further

—used as an interrogative

come clean

: to tell the whole story : confess

came clean about the crimes

come into

: to acquire as a possession or achievement

come into a fortune

come into one's own

: to achieve one's potential

They had a slow start as a team, but they've come into their own this season.

also : to gain recognition

come of age

: to reach maturity

Your class has come of age at a moment of great consequence for our nation and for the world …

—Barack Obama

come off it

: to cease foolish or pretentious talk or behavior

Come off it, you're being silly.

come over

: to seize suddenly and strangely

What's come over you?

come to

: to be a question of

When it comes to knowing trivia, you're the champ.

come to grief

: to encounter misfortune (such as calamity, defeat, or ruin)

The campaign came to grief.

come to grips with

: to meet or deal with firmly, frankly, or straightforwardly

come to grips with the unemployment problem

come to oneself

: to get hold of oneself : regain self-control

the girl came to herself with a catch of her breath.

—Joseph Conrad

come to pass

: happen

Many of the things he predicted have come to pass.

come to terms

1

: to reach an agreement

—often used with with

The company has come to terms with the union.

2

: to become adjusted especially emotionally or intellectually

—usually used with with

come to terms with modern life

come upon

: to meet or find by chance : come across

came upon an old friend

to come

: existing or arriving in the future

in the days to come

There will be more trouble to come.

Synonyms of come

Verb

• approach
• enter

Examples of come in a Sentence

Verb

Please come here for a minute. I want to show you something.

She came quietly into the room.

He came home late again last night.

The dog began to growl as we came closer.

The captain of the ship invited us to come aboard.

People come from all over the country to see him.

Some people came by car while others came by plane.

Why don't you come and stay with us for a while?

About a hundred people are coming to the wedding.

People come many miles to visit the shrine.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Will Woll’s return to the Leafs come earlier than the organization anticipated? —Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025

And 74 of those came when Donovan Olugbode was open for three receptions. —Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 9 Nov. 2025

Investigations found the voicemails of public figures were hacked by journalists and private investigators hired by publications who worked on the assumption that few people changed the default voicemail access code their handset came with. —Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025

Swift and Carpenter's night out on the town comes amid Carpenter's six nominations for the 2026 Grammys. —Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025

The Lancers answered right back and had a key defensive stop to come away with their first playoff victory since 1965. —Brian Roach, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025

The Nighthawks were 3-17 across their first two seasons in Class 3A, with the majority of their defeats coming via running clock. —Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025

Jacksonville kicker Cam Little was having a bit of a sophomore slump, missing four of eight coming into Sunday’s game. —Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 8 Nov. 2025

The second touchdown pass to Tapia came late in the game and sealed the victory. —Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025

Noun

And the Carolina Panthers (4-4) and the Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) each pulled off nail-biting fourth-quarter come-from-behind wins against the Dolphins in wins the defense gift-wrapped its opponents. —Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025

Many are paid lots, but free street parking is available on a first-come, first served basis. —Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2025

The news came ahead of the Jets’ game against the Bengals in Cincinnati, where the team picked up their first win of the season in come-from-behind fashion. —Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025

Open to attendees on a first-come basis, the showcase offered a glimpse at the next generation of Latin talent, raw, diverse, and ready to make their mark. —Quincy Green, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2025

The shot felt around Southern California, coming with two outs in the 10th inning and lifting the Dodgers to a 6-3 come-from-behind victory over the New York Yankees. —Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025

Seating is on a first-come basis, with the concert geared toward teens and adults. —Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025

Kent Johnson, Damon Severson and Kirill Marchenko scored goals, while goaltender Jet Greaves had 22 saves in a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Tampa Bay Lightning before 15,822 in Nationwide Arena. —Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025

Stillwater native Noah Cates blasted a shot in the 3-on-3 extra session, lifting the Flyers to a 2-1 come-from-behind win and handing Minnesota its fourth loss in the past five games. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English cuman; akin to Old High German queman to come, Latin venire, Greek bainein to walk, go

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1923, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing come

• as boring as they come
• as clever as they come
• as (something) as they come
• become/come unstuck
• come about
• come across as
• come adrift
• come after
• come alive
• come along
• come a long way
• come and go
• come apart
• come apart at the seams
• come/appeared on the scene
• come around
• come around to
• come as
• come as a (complete/total) surprise
• come as a revelation
• come as no surprise
• come at
• come at a premium
• come away from
• come back
• come back from
• come back from the dead
• come back to
• come back to bite one
• come back to haunt
• come back to haunt us
• come back with
• come between
• come by
• come cheap
• come close
• come crashing down
• come/crawl out of the woodwork
• come down
• come down against
• come down from
• come down hard on
• come down in favor of
• come down in the world
• come down on
• come down on the side of
• come down the pike
• come down the pipeline
• come down to
• come down with
• come due
• come easy
• come/fall apart at the seams
• come first
• come/follow close/hard/hot on something's heels
• come/follow close/hard/hot on the heels of (something)
• come forward
• come from
• come from money
• come/get to the point
• come/go crawling to
• come/go on the air
• come/go to the rescue of
• come hell or high water
• come-hither
• come home to
• come home to roost
• come in
• come in for
• come in from the cold
• come in handy
• come in/into bloom
• come in/into contact with
• come in on
• come into being
• come into conflict
• come into existence
• come into favor
• come into flower
• come into play
• come into question
• come into the world
• come into use
• come in useful
• come in useful/helpful
• come in/within sight of (something)
• come/jump to someone's defense
• come last
• come naturally
• come off
• come off as
• come off second best
• come on
• come on as
• come one, come all
• come on strong
• come on the market
• come on to
• come out
• come out against
• come-outer
• come out in favor of
• come out of
• come out of hiding
• come out of left field
• come out of nowhere
• come out of retirement
• come out on top
• come out/up smelling like a rose
• come out/up smelling like/of roses
• come out with
• come over to
• come/pop into one's head
• come rain or (come) shine
• come round
• come running
• come short of
• come/spring/leap to mind
• come through
• come to a bad end
• come to a grinding halt
• come to a halt
• come to an end
• come to an understanding
• come to a stop
• come to blows
• come together
• come to/into someone's mind
• come to Jesus moment
• come to life
• come to light
• come to naught
• come to no good
• come to nothing
• come to one's senses
• come to pieces
• come to public notice
• come to rest
• come to someone's assistance
• come to someone's attention
• come to the conclusion
• come to the realization
• come to think of it
• come to trial
• come true
• come/turn up trumps
• come under
• come under attack
• come under fire
• come unglued
• come unstuck
• come up
• come up against
• come up dry
• come up empty
• come up from/through the ranks
• come up short
• come up short of
• come up to
• come up with
• come up with the goods
• come what may
• come with the territory
• dream come true
• easy come, easy go
• first come, first serve
• first come, first served
• good things come in small packages
• how come
• it will all come out in the wash
• Johnny-come-lately
• kingdom come
• not come/go amiss
• on a first-come, first-served basis
• taste of things to come
• the best is yet to come/be
• the life to come
• the shape of things to come
• the time has come
• till/until the cows come home
• to come under attack
• to kingdom come
• waiting for her ship to come in
• wheels come/fall off
• when you come (right) down to it
• where do you come off?
• whose time has come

Rhymes for come

• bum
• chum
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum
• hum

Kids Definition

come

verb

(ˈ)kəm

came

ˈkām

; come; coming

ˈkəm-iŋ

1

: to move toward or journey to something : approach

come here

come see us

2

: to arrive at or enter a scene of action

the police came to our rescue

3

a

: to reach the point of being or becoming

the rope came untied

b

: to add up : amount

the bill came to $10

4

: to take place

the holiday came on Thursday

5

: originate sense 2, arise

honey comes from bees

6

: to be available

the dress comes in three colors

7

: extend sense 4, reach

a coat that comes to the knees

8

a

: to arrive at a place, end, result, or conclusion

came to their senses

we now come to the next chapter

b

: happen sense 5

no harm will come to you

9

: to fall within the range or limits of something

comes under the terms of the treaty

10

: to turn out to be : become

her dreams have come true

comer

ˈkəm-ər

noun