CAME BY Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

came by

verb

past tense of come by

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

Relevance

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of came by The dystopia depicted in the ad came by way of George Orwell’s imagination, but the fears underlying it had deep American roots. — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2026 Chris Barish, the co-owner, came by our table and stayed to tell stories, which is how the best dinners come to be. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026 Then, in early June, a woman named Dominique Rice came by with a video crew. — Diamy Wang august 15, Charlotte Observer, 15 Aug. 2026 Several parents came by the school after the shooting, concerned about what happened inside. — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026 The little worker with the broom came by, passed them, moved right along. — Sheila Heti, New Yorker, 26 July 2026 Disguised in Chiefs apparel, players came by for afternoon coffees. — Zuri Primos july 15, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026 Just a couple of hours later, the user commented that someone came by the dumpster and retrieved the documents. — Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 9 July 2026 The image was recorded about 90 minutes before her father came by the house. — Michael Loria, USA Today, 30 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for came by

Verb

Soldiers had tracked one drone flying past the same Rio Grande Valley overlook three times before CBS News visited the location.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026
Washington envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited Moscow and Kyiv for separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy at the weekend.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of visited

Verb

The Big Ten has won the last three national titles via three different teams (Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State).

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
The United States won 94-61, with Caitlin Clark recording a double-double in her senior international debut with 14 points and 11 assists in 25 minutes off the bench.

— Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of won

Verb

After a 3-2 called third strike with two out to Conine in the ninth was overturned on the ABS review, Zeferjahn retired Otto Lopez on a flyout to right.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026
One of the flight crew had attempted to calm the situation before that point, the witnesses said, but Lundeen allegedly called her a racial slur and started making homophobic comments.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of called

Verb

No one is questioning that Davion Mitchell has earned and is capable of holding a spot in the Heat’s rotation.

— Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026
After attending Bucharest’s Academy of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography, she was accepted into NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, then later earned a master’s degree from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

— Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of earned

Verb

The anti-migration and Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany, or AfD, fell just short of a majority in Sunday’s vote in Saxony-Anhalt, a small eastern state that gained outsized prominence as AfD eyed power there.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
The effort has been working, but the need for such a massive, taxing and expensive operation proves how much influence Iran has gained over the Strait of Hormuz.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of gained

Verb

The past few weeks have seen the former Dateline correspondent and To Catch a Predator host state that he was not consulted on the movie and did not know about the production until shortly before the trailer dropped in May.

— Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Aug. 2026
Smith completed a pre-trial intervention program, so all charges were dropped in March 2025.

— DAVID J. NEAL, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026