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

Madigan, 75, additionally spoke to the fact that solid roles for women are hard to come by in the industry, despite moves forward. —Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026

Since then, Indiana has reeled off eight straight wins, with six of those coming by 20 points or more. —American-Statesman Staff, Austin American Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026

Talented veterans are hard to come by, and Fowler still can be that with a healthy offseason. —Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Jan. 2026

In an era of austerity when rich studio deals are harder to come by, Sony Pictures is betting big on Chris Bremner, as the studio has signed him to a writing and producing deal on the lot under his new company, Unknown Quantity. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 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