come up

verb

came up; come up; coming up; comes up

intransitive verb

1

: rise sense 6

2

: to come near : make an approach

came up and introduced himself

3

: to rise in rank or status

an officer who came up from the ranks

4

a

: to come to attention or consideration

the question never came up

b

: to occur in the course of time

any problem that may come up

5

: to turn out to be

the coin came up tails

6

chiefly dialectal : grow up

Phrases

come up empty

: to fail to achieve a desired result

come up with

: to produce especially in dealing with a problem or challenge

came up with a solution

Synonyms

• approach
• belly up
• close
• close in
• draw on
• near
• nigh

Examples of come up in a Sentence

the girl came up to the counter and asked if she could have her order prepared to go

let me know if anything else comes up during the project

Recent Examples on the Web

More big stories Why Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2003 tabloid deal came up at Trump’s hush-money trial. —Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024

The Little Hoover Commission, which makes recommendations to the governor and Legislature, has vowed to study the issue and come up with possible solutions. —Stephen Hobbs, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024

There are thousands of people coming up with innovations. —Freya Drohan, Vogue, 26 Apr. 2024

The Lions were the last one the call and came up with the best deal for a Cowboys team that was without a fourth-round pick due to acquisition of quarterback Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers last August. —Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Apr. 2024

While the bath mat performed well in terms of water absorption and comfort, its non-slip backing came up short. —Kate Oczypok, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Apr. 2024

It was just announced that the country icon will host the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards, coming up on Thursday, May 16 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT live from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. —Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2024

Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Haley Joel Osment and Ora’s husband Taika Waititi came up as options for Seal. —Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024

Politicians have long come up with creative ways to battle the rodents, but some lawmakers are now proposing city and statewide measures to do more. —Maysoon Khan, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

come up

verb

1

: rise entry 1 sense 4

the sun comes up in an hour

2

: to come near or approach

came up and introduced himself

3

: to come to attention : introduce sense 4

the question came up again