come about

verb

came about; come about; coming about; comes about

intransitive verb

1

: happen

2

: to change direction

the wind has come about into the north

3

: to shift to a new tack

Synonyms of come about

• happen
• be
• come down
• come
• occur

Examples of come about in a Sentence

how did all this come about?

Recent Examples on the Web

The bill's passage came about two months after Graham died suddenly following a tear in his aorta. — David Brennan, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Assembly Bill 1729, which was spearheaded by Assemblymember Alex Lee, D-San Jose, came about after Newsom required many state workers report to offices four days a week. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Muumuus came about as a tropical adaptation to conservative Victorian dress. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2026

With no money and no permits, every piece of the production came about through negotiations and trade. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for come about

• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout
• dugout

Kids Definition

come about

verb

1

: happen sense 2

2

: to change direction

the wind has come about into the north