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

With 35 guests all following the same breakfast-beach-Bombay-and-tonic circuit, privacy on this private island is ironically hard to come by. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026

Almost every bucket was hard to come by Monday, and the Jayhawks’ advantage in free-throw makes and attempts proved vital. —Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 24 Feb. 2026

For years outreach workers have come by day-after-day offering nothing but the same congregate shelter option, so many of our clients have stopped interacting with them. —Deborah Berkman, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026

The New York Fed researchers found that tech jobs are harder to come by these days as employers pull back in hiring after expanding too quickly during the pandemic years. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 24 Feb. 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