come

1 of 2

verb

ˈkəm 

came ˈkām  ; come; coming ˈkə-miŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move toward something : approach

Come here.

b

: to move or journey to a vicinity with a specified purpose

Come see us.

Come and see what's going on.

c(1)

: to reach a particular station in a series

Now we come to the section on health.

(2)

: to arrive in due course

The time has come to make your decision.

Has the mail come yet?

d(1)

: to approach in kind or quality

This comes near perfection.

(2)

: to reach a condition or conclusion

came to regard them as friends

Come to think of it, you may be right.

The screw came loose.

e(1)

: to advance toward accomplishment : come along

The job is coming nicely.

(2)

: to advance in a particular manner

Come running when I call.

(3)

: to advance, rise, or improve in rank or condition

has come a long way

f

: extend

The dress comes to the ankles.

2

a(1)

: to arrive at a particular place, end, result, or conclusion

came to his senses

come untied

He came to regret his choice.

(2)

: amount

The taxes on it come to more than it's worth.

b(1)

: to appear to the mind

The answer came to them.

(2)

: to appear on a scene : make an appearance

Children come equipped to learn any language.

c(1)

: happen, occur

No harm will come to you.

(2)

: to come to pass : take place

—used in the subjunctive with inverted subject and verb to express the particular time or occasion

Come spring the days will be longer.

d

: originate, arise

Wine comes from grapes.

They come from sturdy stock.

e

: to enter or assume a condition, position, or relation

The artillery came into action.

f

: to fall within a field of view or a range of application

This comes within the terms of the treaty.

g

: to issue forth

A sob came from my throat.

h

: to take form

Churn till the butter comes.

i

: to be available

This model comes in several sizes.

as good as they come

j

or less commonly cum

ˈkəm 

often vulgar : to experience orgasm

3

: to fall to a person in a division or inheritance of property

Several thousand dollars came to them from their grandparents.

4

obsolete : to become moved favorably : relent

5

: to turn out to be

Good clothes don't come cheap.

6

: become

a dream that came true

transitive verb

1

: to approach or be near (an age)

a child coming eight years old

2

: to take on the aspect of

come the stern parent

see also come a cropper, come across, come again, come clean, come into, come into one's own, come of age, come off it, come over, come to, come to grief, come to grips with, come to oneself, come to pass, come to terms, come upon, to come

come

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly cum

1

often vulgar : semen

2

often vulgar : orgasm

Synonyms of come

Verb

• approach
• enter

Examples of come in a Sentence

Verb

Please come here for a minute. I want to show you something.

She came quietly into the room.

He came home late again last night.

The dog began to growl as we came closer.

The captain of the ship invited us to come aboard.

People come from all over the country to see him.

Some people came by car while others came by plane.

Why don't you come and stay with us for a while?

About a hundred people are coming to the wedding.

People come many miles to visit the shrine.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Soon, Liebreich expects to part with four more workers – including another cook – from El Salvador, whose TPS will expire in coming months. —Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026

And this momentum is only expected to grow in the years to come. —Mari Sato The Dallas Morning News, Arkansas Online, 1 Feb. 2026

Saturday's strikes also came a day before the Rafah crossing along the border with Egypt is set to open in Gaza's southernmost city. —CBS News, 31 Jan. 2026

Some schools and hospitals across the country are training staff on what to do if federal agents come knocking. —Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026

Next comes an extraordinary access to Villa Oasis, the final home of Saint Laurent and Bergé. —Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 31 Jan. 2026

The lookalike comes with a belt that is removable and adjustable for a custom fit. —Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026

This Australian Open win comes 12 months after her coach, Stefano Vukov, was barred from entering Melbourne Park. —Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026

This time the crunch came because spending fueled by the post-pandemic economic recovery was not sustainable when revenue plummeted just a few years later — but the state budget has long gone through similar boom-and-bust cycles. —Lanhee J. Chen, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026

Noun

The come-downs were ridiculous. —Tom Burrows, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026

The guard — who scored a career-high 55 points in the game — drilled eight triples over the final two frames, including five in a 26-point final frame that nearly sparked yet another remarkable come-from-behind victory. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026

These are schools to which families must apply, and entrance is granted on a first come, first served basis. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Jan. 2026

Shanti has had an incredible come-up from the moment the show first introduces her until the finale. —Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2026

For years, asking for shelter in the city of San Diego has often been a first-come, first-serve process. —Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026

Matt Boldy scored two goals, including the winner just 39 seconds into overtime, to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. —CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025

The first four come this week on campus sites. —Erick Smith, USA Today, 15 Dec. 2025

Space at this event is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis for Platinum and Music Badge holders, as well as those with Music Festival Wristbands. —Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 10 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English cuman; akin to Old High German queman to come, Latin venire, Greek bainein to walk, go

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1923, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing come

• as boring as they come
• as clever as they come
• as (something) as they come
• become/come unstuck
• come about
• come across as
• come adrift
• come after
• come alive
• come along
• come a long way
• come and go
• come apart
• come apart at the seams
• come/appeared on the scene
• come around
• come around to
• come as
• come as a (complete/total) surprise
• come as a revelation
• come as no surprise
• come at
• come at a premium
• come away from
• come back
• come back from
• come back from the dead
• come back to
• come back to bite one
• come back to haunt
• come back to haunt us
• come back with
• come between
• come by
• come cheap
• come close
• come crashing down
• come/crawl out of the woodwork
• come down
• come down against
• come down from
• come down hard on
• come down in favor of
• come down in the world
• come down on
• come down on the side of
• come down the pike
• come down the pipeline
• come down to
• come down with
• come due
• come easy
• come/fall apart at the seams
• come first
• come/follow close/hard/hot on something's heels
• come/follow close/hard/hot on the heels of (something)
• come forward
• come from
• come from money
• come/get to the point
• come/go crawling to
• come/go on the air
• come/go to the rescue of
• come hell or high water
• come-hither
• come home to
• come home to roost
• come in
• come in for
• come in from the cold
• come in handy
• come in/into bloom
• come in/into contact with
• come in on
• come into being
• come into conflict
• come into existence
• come into favor
• come into flower
• come into play
• come into question
• come into the world
• come into use
• come in useful
• come in useful/helpful
• come in/within sight of (something)
• come/jump to someone's defense
• come last
• come naturally
• come off
• come off as
• come off second best
• come on
• come on as
• come one, come all
• come on strong
• come on the market
• come on to
• come out
• come out against
• come-outer
• come out in favor of
• come out of
• come out of hiding
• come out of left field
• come out of nowhere
• come out of retirement
• come out on top
• come out/up smelling like a rose
• come out/up smelling like/of roses
• come out with
• come over to
• come/pop into one's head
• come rain or (come) shine
• come round
• come running
• come short of
• come/spring/leap to mind
• come through
• come to a bad end
• come to a grinding halt
• come to a halt
• come to an end
• come to an understanding
• come to a stop
• come to blows
• come together
• come to/into someone's mind
• come to Jesus moment
• come to life
• come to light
• come to naught
• come to no good
• come to nothing
• come to one's senses
• come to pieces
• come to public notice
• come to rest
• come to someone's assistance
• come to someone's attention
• come to the conclusion
• come to the realization
• come to think of it
• come to trial
• come true
• come/turn up trumps
• come under
• come under attack
• come under fire
• come unglued
• come unstuck
• come up
• come up against
• come up dry
• come up empty
• come up from/through the ranks
• come up short
• come up short of
• come up to
• come up with
• come up with the goods
• come what may
• come with the territory
• dream come true
• easy come, easy go
• first come, first serve
• first come, first served
• good things come in small packages
• how come
• it will all come out in the wash
• Johnny-come-lately
• kingdom come
• not come/go amiss
• on a first-come, first-served basis
• taste of things to come
• the best is yet to come/be
• the life to come
• the shape of things to come
• the time has come
• till/until the cows come home
• to come under attack
• to kingdom come
• waiting for her ship to come in
• wheels come/fall off
• when you come (right) down to it
• where do you come off?
• whose time has come

Rhymes for come

• bum
• chum
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum
• hum

Kids Definition

come

verb

(ˈ)kəm

came

ˈkām

; come; coming

ˈkəm-iŋ

1

: to move toward or journey to something : approach

come here

come see us

2

: to arrive at or enter a scene of action

the police came to our rescue

3

a

: to reach the point of being or becoming

the rope came untied

b

: to add up : amount

the bill came to $10

4

: to take place

the holiday came on Thursday

5

: originate sense 2, arise

honey comes from bees

6

: to be available

the dress comes in three colors

7

: extend sense 4, reach

a coat that comes to the knees

8

a

: to arrive at a place, end, result, or conclusion

came to their senses

we now come to the next chapter

b

: happen sense 5

no harm will come to you

9

: to fall within the range or limits of something

comes under the terms of the treaty

10

: to turn out to be : become

her dreams have come true

comer

ˈkəm-ər

noun