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

• call
• come over
• drop by
• drop in
• pop (in)
• run (over)
• run in
• step in
• stop (by or in)
• visit

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

Affordable housing is tough to come by, with median house sales prices in Otter Tail at around $303,000 in March, up 33% year-over-year, according to Redfin. —Nick Fouriezos, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2024

Naomi Campbell came by and caught me learning to climb the steps, one by one. —Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 25 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

come by

verb

1

: to make a visit

come by after dinner

2

: acquire

good help is hard to come by