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

Money was rarely spent, and trades were hard to come by. —James Boyd, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025

The hotel honors its commitment to sustainability with an organic garden that provides fresh ingredients for the restaurant—a rarity on the island, where logistics make fresh produce difficult to come by. —Carla Vianna, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025

The move, long-awaited by players and fans, is aimed squarely at securing Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, which have been hard to come by since LIV started. —Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025

Water is hard to come by on the Arizona Trail. —Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 4 Nov. 2025

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