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

More details about North Rim reopenings will come by April 1, according to park officials. —Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Muhammad's fear eased when she was matched with a volunteer who came by on Sunday and Monday to clear her sidewalk as part of the new initiative. —Hannah Kliger, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026

Until the closing — and there’s not an exact date yet — customers are invited to come by 376 Race Street for a closeout sale. —Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026

Reliable, comprehensive emigration statistics broken down by race under apartheid are hard to come by, but in 1961 alone, UNESCO calculated that no fewer than 25 faculty members resigned from the University of Cape Town to move overseas. —Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 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