1
as in visited
to make a brief visit
come by after work and I'll give you some clothes for the rummage sale
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in won
to receive as return for effort
a literary award like that isn't easy to come by
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of came by
Henderson didn’t even consider basketball until a coach from a local girls team came by the netball courts.
—
Eden Laase, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
David Byrne came by and eventually David Bowie did, too.
—Fab 5 Freddy, Vanity Fair, 2 Mar. 2026
As law enforcement vehicles sat outside the arena Tuesday, a few people came by with flowers to pay their respects.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
All five assists came by Olympians as well, with Canadian Sam Reinhart, Balinskis and Tkachuk each having one and Lundell chipping in two.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 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
Roker, 71, delivered breakfast sandwiches to hospice, Melvin, 46, visited Ojeh often and Hoda Kotb even came by the hospital with devotional books.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Nooraan’s mother, whose name the Tribune is keeping private, came by the restaurant with her daughter.
—Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Just minutes before our interview, a hotel staffer came by to shake JOP’s hand, as if the two had known each other for years.
—Andrea Flores
jan. 8, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Eden Laase, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
David Byrne came by and eventually David Bowie did, too.
—Fab 5 Freddy, Vanity Fair, 2 Mar. 2026
As law enforcement vehicles sat outside the arena Tuesday, a few people came by with flowers to pay their respects.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
All five assists came by Olympians as well, with Canadian Sam Reinhart, Balinskis and Tkachuk each having one and Lundell chipping in two.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 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
Roker, 71, delivered breakfast sandwiches to hospice, Melvin, 46, visited Ojeh often and Hoda Kotb even came by the hospital with devotional books.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Nooraan’s mother, whose name the Tribune is keeping private, came by the restaurant with her daughter.
—Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Just minutes before our interview, a hotel staffer came by to shake JOP’s hand, as if the two had known each other for years.
—Andrea Flores
jan. 8, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for came by
Verb
-
María was among the locals sweeping up the ashes and trying to scrub burn marks from the streets and buildings when The Times visited Etzatlán in the days after El Mencho’s death.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Some 24% fewer Canadians visited Las Vegas overall last year.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Since returning from the winter break, Arsenal have won eight of their ten fixtures (losing just one and being tied in another), while also becoming the first-ever winner of the new FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in February.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Gonzales, a father of six, first won his seat in 2020 after retiring from a 20-year career in the Navy that included time in Iraq and Afghanistan.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The affair between Clark and Carol called for some fairly ridiculous, kinky and specific acts in a hotel room.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Boise State would hang around for the final two-minute period, which stretched to about 30 minutes of actual time, as both teams repeatedly sent each other to the free-throw line and called timeouts.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The victory earned back-to-back state titles for Decatur.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Most billionaires, including those named by Sanders, have earned their fortunes by producing values that consumers are willing to pay for.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Reed ran in junior high, then fell in love with the sport again while living in New York City, where her run club convinced her to run the New York Marathon in 2010.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The subway ran in the distance.—
Mary Gaitskill,
New Yorker,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The case in Rio de Janeiro’s famed beachside neighborhood, which allegedly took place in January, gained national traction last week when four suspects handed themselves over to authorities.—
Eléonore Hughes,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The narrative has gained influence in technology circles for its depiction of incremental rather than sudden transformation.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The labor participation for prime-age workers is near the highest since 2001, government data published last Friday show, but that of people over 16 who were born in the US has dropped in recent months, and is near the lowest level since 2021.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Surf Gang’s previous release, with British rapper Jawnino, dropped in December.—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Sports media play-by-play broadcaster Joey Lindstrom did miss the competition, but still reaped the benefits of looking like Kennedy.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
9 Mar. 2026
-
In each case, there were also long-term victors who inherited infrastructure and reaped the benefits of these expansions in the form of lower-cost bandwidth, cheaper consumer prices, and large manufacturers that consolidated the power grid.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Came by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/came%20by. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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