come
♦♦♦ come /k'ʌm/ (comes coming came)
The form come is used in the present tense and is the past participle. Come is used in a large number of expressions which are explained under other words in this dictionary. For example, the expression `to come to terms with something' is explained at `term'.
1 [VERB] V prep/adv, V prep/adv, V prep/adv, V, V, V -ing prep/adv
When a person or thing comes to a particular place, especially to a place where you are, they move there.
Two police officers came into the hall...
Come here, Tom...
You'll have to come with us...
We heard the train coming...
Can I come too?...
The impact blew out some of the windows and the sea came rushing in.
2 [VERB] V to-inf, V and v, V inf
When someone comes to do something, they move to the place where someone else is in order to do it, and they do it. In British English, someone can also come and do something and in American English, someone can come do something. However, you always say that someone came and did something.
Eleanor had come to visit her...
Come and meet Roger...
I want you to come visit me.
3 [VERB] V to n
When you come to a place, you reach it.
He came to a door that led into a passageway.
4 [VERB] V up/down prep, V up/down prep
If something comes up to a particular point or down to it, it is tall enough, deep enough, or long enough to reach that point.
The water came up to my chest...
I wore a large shirt of Jamie's which came down over my hips.
5 [VERB] V adv/prep, V adv/prep
If something comes apart or comes to pieces, it breaks into pieces. If something comes off or comes away, it becomes detached from something else.
The pistol came to pieces, easily and quickly...
The door knobs came off in our hands.
6 [V-LINK] V to n, V into n, V adj
You use come in expressions such as come to an end or come into operation to indicate that someone or something enters or reaches a particular state or situation.
The Communists came to power in 1944...
I came into contact with very bright Harvard and Yale students...
Their worst fears may be coming true.
7 [VERB] V to-inf
If someone comes to do something, they do it at the end of a long process or period of time.
She said it so many times that she came to believe it...
8 [VERB] V to-inf
You can ask how something came to happen when you want to know what caused it to happen or made it possible.
How did you come to meet him?
9 [VERB] V prep/adv, V, there V n
When a particular event or time comes, it arrives or happens.
The announcement came after a meeting at the Home Office...
The time has come for us to move on...
There will come a time when the crisis will occur.
● coming [N-SING] usu the N of n
Most of my patients welcome the coming of summer.
10 [PREP]
You can use come before a date, time, or event to mean when that date, time, or event arrives. For example, you can say come the spring to mean `when the spring arrives'.
Come the election on the 20th of May, we will have to decide...
11 [VERB] V to n, it V to n that
If a thought, idea, or memory comes to you, you suddenly think of it or remember it.
He was about to shut the door when an idea came to him...
Then it came to me that perhaps he did understand.
= occur
12 [VERB] V to n
If money or property is going to come to you, you are going to inherit or receive it.
He did have pension money coming to him when the factory shut down.
13 [VERB] V before n, V to n
If a case comes before a court or tribunal or comes to court, it is presented there so that the court or tribunal can examine it.
The membership application came before the Council of Ministers in September...
President Cristiani expected the case to come to court within ninety days.
14 [VERB] V to amount
If something comes to a particular number or amount, it adds up to it.
Lunch came to $80.
15 [VERB] V from n, V from n, V from n
If someone or something comes from a particular place or thing, that place or thing is their origin, source, or starting point.
Nearly half the students come from abroad...
Chocolate comes from the cacao tree...
The term `claret', used to describe Bordeaux wines, may come from the French word `clairet'.
16 [VERB] V from n/-ing, V of n/-ing
Something that comes from something else or comes of it is the result of it.
There is a feeling of power that comes from driving fast...
He asked to be transferred there some years ago, but nothing came of it.
17 [VERB] V ord, V ord
If someone or something comes first, next, or last, they are first, next, or last in a series, list, or competition.
The two countries have been unable to agree which step should come next...
The horse had already won at Lincolnshire and come second at Lowesby.
18 [VERB] V in n, V in n
If a type of thing comes in a particular range of colours, forms, styles, or sizes, it can have any of those colours, forms, styles, or sizes.
Bikes come in all shapes and sizes...
The wallpaper comes in black and white only.
19 [VERB] V as n to n, V as n
You use come in expressions such as it came as a surprise when indicating a person's reaction to something that happens.
Major's reply came as a complete surprise to the House of Commons...
The arrest has come as a terrible shock.
20 [VERB] V to n, V to n
The next subject in a discussion that you come to is the one that you talk about next.
Finally in the programme, we come to the news that the American composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein, has died...
That is another matter altogether. And we shall come to that next.
21 [VERB] V
To come means to have an orgasm. (INFORMAL)
22
see also coming, comings and goings
23 [PHRASE]
If you say that someone is, for example, as good as they come, or as stupid as they come, you are emphasizing that they are extremely good or extremely stupid.
The new finance minister was educated at Oxford and is as traditional as they come.
24 [PHRASE] PHR with cl
You can use the expression when it comes down to it or when you come down to it for emphasis, when you are giving a general statement or conclusion.
When you come down to it, however, the basic problems of life have not changed...
25 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you say that someone has it coming to them, you mean that they deserve everything bad that is going to happen to them, because they have done something wrong or are a bad person. If you say that someone got what was coming to them, you mean that they deserved the punishment or bad experience that they have had. (INFORMAL)
He was pleased that Brady was dead because he probably had it coming to him.
26 [PHRASE] PHR with cl
You use the expression come to think of it to indicate that you have suddenly realized something, often something obvious.
You know, when you come to think of it, this is very odd.
27 [PHRASE] usu n PHR, also v-link PHR
When you refer to a time or an event to come or one that is still to come, you are referring to a future time or event.
I hope in years to come he will reflect on his decision...
The worst of the storm is yet to come.
28 [PHRASE] PHR n/-ing
You can use the expression when it comes to or when it comes down to in order to introduce a new topic or a new aspect of a topic that you are talking about.
Most of us know we should cut down on fat. But knowing such things isn't much help when it comes to shopping and eating...
However, when it comes down to somebody that they know, they have a different feeling.
29 [PHRASE] V inflects
You can use expressions like I know where you're coming from or you can see where she's coming from to say that you understand someone's attitude or point of view.
To understand why they are doing it, it is necessary to know where they are coming from...come about
[PHRASAL VERB] V P through n, V P, it V P that
When you say how or when something came about, you say how or when it happened.
Any possible solution to the Irish question can only come about through dialogue...
That came about when we went to Glastonbury last year...
Thus it came about that, after many years as an interior designer and antiques dealer, he combined both businesses.come across
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you come across something or someone, you find them or meet them by chance.
I came across a group of children playing.
= encounter
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P as n, V P adv
If someone or what they are saying comes across in a particular way, they make that impression on people who meet them or are listening to them.
When sober he can come across as an extremely pleasant and charming young man...
He came across very, very well.
= come overcome along
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
You tell someone to come along to encourage them in a friendly way to do something, especially to attend something.
There's a big press launch today and you're most welcome to come along.
= come on
2 [CONVENTION]
You say `come along' to someone to encourage them to hurry up, usually when you are rather annoyed with them.
Come along, Osmond. No sense in your standing around.
= come on
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P
When something or someone comes along, they occur or arrive by chance.
I waited a long time until a script came along that I thought was genuinely funny...
It was lucky you came along.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P adv, V P
If something is coming along, it is developing or making progress.
Pentagon spokesman Williams says those talks are coming along quite well...
How's Ferguson coming along?come around
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P to n
If someone comes around or comes round to your house, they call there to see you.
Beryl came round this morning to apologize...
Quite a lot of people came round to the house.
= come over
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P to n, V P
If you come around or come round to an idea, you eventually change your mind and accept it or agree with it.
It looks like they're coming around to our way of thinking...
She will eventually come round.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When something comes around or comes round, it happens as a regular or predictable event.
I hope still to be in the side when the World Cup comes around next year.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When someone who is unconscious comes around or comes round, they recover consciousness.
When I came round I was on the kitchen floor.
= come tocome at
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n with n, also V P n
If a person or animal comes at you, they move towards you in a threatening way and try to attack you.
He maintained that he was protecting himself from Mr Cox, who came at him with an axe.come back
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P to n, V P
If something that you had forgotten comes back to you, you remember it.
He was also an MP-I'll think of his name in a moment when it comes back to me...
When I thought about it, it all came back.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When something comes back, it becomes fashionable again.
I'm glad hats are coming back.
3
see also comebackcome back to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you come back to a topic or point, you talk about it again later.
`What does that mean please?'--`I'm coming back to that. Just write it down for the minute.'come between
[PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P pl-n
If someone or something comes between two people, or comes between a person and a thing, they make the relationship or connection between them less close or happy.
It's difficult to imagine anything coming between them...come by
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n
To come by something means to obtain it or find it.
How did you come by that cheque?...come down
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P to/from n, V P by n
If the cost, level, or amount of something comes down, it becomes less than it was before.
Interest rates should come down...
If you buy three bottles, the bottle price comes down to £2.42...
The price of petrol is coming down by four pence a gallon.
≠ go up
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If something comes down, it falls to the ground.
The cold rain came down...come down on
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you come down on one side of an argument, you declare that you support that side.
He clearly and decisively came down on the side of President Rafsanjani.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you come down on someone, you criticize them severely or treat them strictly.
If Douglas came down hard enough on him, Dale would rebel.come down to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n, it V P P n, it V P P n
If a problem, decision, or question comes down to a particular thing, that thing is the most important factor involved.
Walter Crowley says the problem comes down to money...
I think that it comes down to the fact that people do feel very dependent on their automobile...
What it comes down to is, there are bad people out there, and somebody has to deal with them.come for
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If people such as soldiers or police come for you, they come to find you, usually in order to harm you or take you away, for example to prison.
Lotte was getting ready to fight if they came for her.come forward
[PHRASAL VERB] V P
If someone comes forward, they offer to do something or to give some information in response to a request for help.
A vital witness came forward to say that she saw Tanner wearing the boots.come in
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If information, a report, or a telephone call comes in, it is received.
Reports are now coming in of trouble at yet another jail.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P
If you have some money coming in, you receive it regularly as your income.
She had no money coming in and no funds.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P on n, V P
If someone comes in on a discussion, arrangement, or task, they join it.
Can I come in here too, on both points?...
He had a designer come in and redesign the uniforms.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When a new idea, fashion, or product comes in, it becomes popular or available.
It was just when geography was really beginning to change and lots of new ideas were coming in...
5 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you ask where something or someone comes in, you are asking what their role is in a particular matter.
Rose asked again, `But where do we come in, Henry?'
6 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When the tide comes in, the water in the sea gradually moves so that it covers more of the land.
≠ go outcome into
1 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
If someone comes into some money, some property, or a title, they inherit it.
My father has just come into a fortune in diamonds.
= inherit
2 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
If someone or something comes into a situation, they have a role in it.
We don't really know where Hortense comes into all this...come off
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If something comes off, it is successful or effective.
It was a good try but it didn't quite come off...
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P adv
If someone comes off worst in a contest or conflict, they are in the worst position after it. If they come off best, they are in the best position.
Some Democrats still have bitter memories of how, against all odds, they came off worst during the inquiry...
3 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
If you come off a drug or medicine, you stop taking it.
...people trying to come off tranquillizers.
4 [CONVENTION]
You say `come off it' to someone to show them that you think what they are saying is untrue or wrong. (INFORMAL, SPOKEN)come on
1 [CONVENTION]
You say `Come on' to someone to encourage them to do something they do not much want to do. (SPOKEN)
Come on Doreen, let's dance.
= come along
2 [CONVENTION]
You say `Come on' to someone to encourage them to hurry up. (SPOKEN)
= come along
3 [PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P
If you have an illness or a headache coming on, you can feel it starting.
Tiredness and fever are much more likely to be a sign of flu coming on.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P adv
If something or someone is coming on well, they are developing well or making good progress.
Lee is coming on very well now and it's a matter of deciding how to fit him into the team...
= come along
5 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When something such as a machine or system comes on, it starts working or functioning.
The central heating was coming on and the ancient wooden boards creaked.
≠ go off
6 [PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P, it V P to-inf
If a new season or type of weather is coming on, it is starting to arrive.
Winter was coming on again...
I had two miles to go and it was just coming on to rain.come out
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When a new product such as a book or CD comes out, it becomes available to the public.
The book comes out this week...
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, it V P that
If a fact comes out, it becomes known to people.
The truth is beginning to come out about what happened...
It will come out that she has covertly donated considerable sums to the IRA.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P as n/adj
When a gay person comes out, they let people know that they are gay.
...the few gay men there who dare to come out...
I came out as a lesbian when I was still in my teens.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P adv/prep, V P adj, V P of n adv/prep
To come out in a particular way means to be in the position or state described at the end of a process or event.
In this grim little episode of recent American history, few people come out well...
So what makes a good marriage? Faithfulness comes out top of the list...
Julian ought to have resigned, then he'd have come out of it with some credit.
5 [PHRASAL VERB] V P prep/adv
If you come out for something, you declare that you support it. If you come out against something, you declare that you do not support it.
Its members had come out virtually unanimously against the tests.
6 [PHRASAL VERB] V P prep
When a group of workers comes out on strike, they go on strike. (BRIT; in AM, use go out on strike)
On September 18 the dockers again came out on strike.
7 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If a photograph does not come out, it does not appear or is unclear when it is developed and printed.
None of her snaps came out.
8 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When the sun, moon, or stars come out, they appear in the sky.
Oh, look. The sun's come out.
≠ go income out in
[PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P P n
If you come out in spots, you become covered with them. (BRIT; in AM, use break out)
When I changed to a new soap I came out in a terrible rash.
= break out income over
1 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n, V P n
If a feeling or desire, especially a strange or surprising one, comes over you, it affects you strongly.
As I entered the corridor which led to my room that eerie feeling came over me...
I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P adj
If someone comes over all dizzy or shy, for example, they suddenly start feeling or acting in that way.
When Connie pours her troubles out to him, Joe comes over all sensitive...
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P as n
If someone or what they are saying comes over in a particular way, they make that impression on people who meet them or are listening to them.
You come over as a capable and amusing companion...
= come acrosscome round
see come aroundcome through
1 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
To come through a dangerous or difficult situation means to survive it and recover from it.
The city had faced racial crisis and come through it...
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If a feeling or message comes through, it is clearly shown in what is said or done.
I hope my love for the material came through, because it is a great script...
= come across
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If something comes through, it arrives, especially after some procedure has been carried out.
The news came through at about five o'clock on election day.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P on/with n, V P for n
If you come through with what is expected or needed from you, you succeed in doing or providing it.
He puts his administration at risk if he doesn't come through on these promises for reform...
We found that we were totally helpless, and our women came through for us.come to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P
When someone who is unconscious comes to, they recover consciousness.
When he came to and raised his head he saw Barney.
= come aroundcome under
1 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
If you come under attack or pressure, for example, people attack you or put pressure on you.
His relationship with the KGB came under scrutiny.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
If something comes under a particular authority, it is managed or controlled by that authority.
They were neglected before because they did not come under the Ministry of Defence.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
If something comes under a particular heading, it is in the category mentioned.
There was more news about Britain, but it came under the heading of human interest.come up
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P to n
If someone comes up or comes up to you, they approach you until they are standing close to you.
Her cat came up and rubbed itself against their legs...
He came up to me and said: `Come on, John.'
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If something comes up in a conversation or meeting, it is mentioned or discussed.
The subject came up at a news conference in Peking today...
= crop up
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If something is coming up, it is about to happen or take place.
We do have elections coming up.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If something comes up, it happens unexpectedly.
I was delayed-something came up at home...
5 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P for n
If a job comes up or if something comes up for sale, it becomes available.
A research fellowship came up at Girton and I applied for it and got it...
The house came up for sale and the couple realised they could just about afford it.
6 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When the sun or moon comes up, it rises.
It will be so great watching the sun come up.
≠ go down
7 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
In law, when a case comes up, it is heard in a court of law.
He is one of the reservists who will plead not guilty when their cases come up.come up against
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you come up against a problem or difficulty, you are faced with it and have to deal with it.
We came up against a great deal of resistance in dealing with the case.come up to
[PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P P n
To be coming up to a time or state means to be getting near to it.
It's just coming up to ten minutes past eleven now.
= approachcome upon
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you come upon someone or something, you meet them or find them by chance.
I came upon an irresistible item at a yard sale.
= come across
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If an attitude or feeling comes upon you, it begins to affect you. (LITERARY)
A sense of impending doom came upon all of us.
The form come is used in the present tense and is the past participle. Come is used in a large number of expressions which are explained under other words in this dictionary. For example, the expression `to come to terms with something' is explained at `term'.
1 [VERB] V prep/adv, V prep/adv, V prep/adv, V, V, V -ing prep/adv
When a person or thing comes to a particular place, especially to a place where you are, they move there.
Two police officers came into the hall...
Come here, Tom...
You'll have to come with us...
We heard the train coming...
Can I come too?...
The impact blew out some of the windows and the sea came rushing in.
2 [VERB] V to-inf, V and v, V inf
When someone comes to do something, they move to the place where someone else is in order to do it, and they do it. In British English, someone can also come and do something and in American English, someone can come do something. However, you always say that someone came and did something.
Eleanor had come to visit her...
Come and meet Roger...
I want you to come visit me.
3 [VERB] V to n
When you come to a place, you reach it.
He came to a door that led into a passageway.
4 [VERB] V up/down prep, V up/down prep
If something comes up to a particular point or down to it, it is tall enough, deep enough, or long enough to reach that point.
The water came up to my chest...
I wore a large shirt of Jamie's which came down over my hips.
5 [VERB] V adv/prep, V adv/prep
If something comes apart or comes to pieces, it breaks into pieces. If something comes off or comes away, it becomes detached from something else.
The pistol came to pieces, easily and quickly...
The door knobs came off in our hands.
6 [V-LINK] V to n, V into n, V adj
You use come in expressions such as come to an end or come into operation to indicate that someone or something enters or reaches a particular state or situation.
The Communists came to power in 1944...
I came into contact with very bright Harvard and Yale students...
Their worst fears may be coming true.
7 [VERB] V to-inf
If someone comes to do something, they do it at the end of a long process or period of time.
She said it so many times that she came to believe it...
8 [VERB] V to-inf
You can ask how something came to happen when you want to know what caused it to happen or made it possible.
How did you come to meet him?
9 [VERB] V prep/adv, V, there V n
When a particular event or time comes, it arrives or happens.
The announcement came after a meeting at the Home Office...
The time has come for us to move on...
There will come a time when the crisis will occur.
● coming [N-SING] usu the N of n
Most of my patients welcome the coming of summer.
10 [PREP]
You can use come before a date, time, or event to mean when that date, time, or event arrives. For example, you can say come the spring to mean `when the spring arrives'.
Come the election on the 20th of May, we will have to decide...
11 [VERB] V to n, it V to n that
If a thought, idea, or memory comes to you, you suddenly think of it or remember it.
He was about to shut the door when an idea came to him...
Then it came to me that perhaps he did understand.
= occur
12 [VERB] V to n
If money or property is going to come to you, you are going to inherit or receive it.
He did have pension money coming to him when the factory shut down.
13 [VERB] V before n, V to n
If a case comes before a court or tribunal or comes to court, it is presented there so that the court or tribunal can examine it.
The membership application came before the Council of Ministers in September...
President Cristiani expected the case to come to court within ninety days.
14 [VERB] V to amount
If something comes to a particular number or amount, it adds up to it.
Lunch came to $80.
15 [VERB] V from n, V from n, V from n
If someone or something comes from a particular place or thing, that place or thing is their origin, source, or starting point.
Nearly half the students come from abroad...
Chocolate comes from the cacao tree...
The term `claret', used to describe Bordeaux wines, may come from the French word `clairet'.
16 [VERB] V from n/-ing, V of n/-ing
Something that comes from something else or comes of it is the result of it.
There is a feeling of power that comes from driving fast...
He asked to be transferred there some years ago, but nothing came of it.
17 [VERB] V ord, V ord
If someone or something comes first, next, or last, they are first, next, or last in a series, list, or competition.
The two countries have been unable to agree which step should come next...
The horse had already won at Lincolnshire and come second at Lowesby.
18 [VERB] V in n, V in n
If a type of thing comes in a particular range of colours, forms, styles, or sizes, it can have any of those colours, forms, styles, or sizes.
Bikes come in all shapes and sizes...
The wallpaper comes in black and white only.
19 [VERB] V as n to n, V as n
You use come in expressions such as it came as a surprise when indicating a person's reaction to something that happens.
Major's reply came as a complete surprise to the House of Commons...
The arrest has come as a terrible shock.
20 [VERB] V to n, V to n
The next subject in a discussion that you come to is the one that you talk about next.
Finally in the programme, we come to the news that the American composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein, has died...
That is another matter altogether. And we shall come to that next.
21 [VERB] V
To come means to have an orgasm. (INFORMAL)
22
see also coming, comings and goings
23 [PHRASE]
If you say that someone is, for example, as good as they come, or as stupid as they come, you are emphasizing that they are extremely good or extremely stupid.
The new finance minister was educated at Oxford and is as traditional as they come.
24 [PHRASE] PHR with cl
You can use the expression when it comes down to it or when you come down to it for emphasis, when you are giving a general statement or conclusion.
When you come down to it, however, the basic problems of life have not changed...
25 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you say that someone has it coming to them, you mean that they deserve everything bad that is going to happen to them, because they have done something wrong or are a bad person. If you say that someone got what was coming to them, you mean that they deserved the punishment or bad experience that they have had. (INFORMAL)
He was pleased that Brady was dead because he probably had it coming to him.
26 [PHRASE] PHR with cl
You use the expression come to think of it to indicate that you have suddenly realized something, often something obvious.
You know, when you come to think of it, this is very odd.
27 [PHRASE] usu n PHR, also v-link PHR
When you refer to a time or an event to come or one that is still to come, you are referring to a future time or event.
I hope in years to come he will reflect on his decision...
The worst of the storm is yet to come.
28 [PHRASE] PHR n/-ing
You can use the expression when it comes to or when it comes down to in order to introduce a new topic or a new aspect of a topic that you are talking about.
Most of us know we should cut down on fat. But knowing such things isn't much help when it comes to shopping and eating...
However, when it comes down to somebody that they know, they have a different feeling.
29 [PHRASE] V inflects
You can use expressions like I know where you're coming from or you can see where she's coming from to say that you understand someone's attitude or point of view.
To understand why they are doing it, it is necessary to know where they are coming from...come about
[PHRASAL VERB] V P through n, V P, it V P that
When you say how or when something came about, you say how or when it happened.
Any possible solution to the Irish question can only come about through dialogue...
That came about when we went to Glastonbury last year...
Thus it came about that, after many years as an interior designer and antiques dealer, he combined both businesses.come across
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you come across something or someone, you find them or meet them by chance.
I came across a group of children playing.
= encounter
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P as n, V P adv
If someone or what they are saying comes across in a particular way, they make that impression on people who meet them or are listening to them.
When sober he can come across as an extremely pleasant and charming young man...
He came across very, very well.
= come overcome along
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
You tell someone to come along to encourage them in a friendly way to do something, especially to attend something.
There's a big press launch today and you're most welcome to come along.
= come on
2 [CONVENTION]
You say `come along' to someone to encourage them to hurry up, usually when you are rather annoyed with them.
Come along, Osmond. No sense in your standing around.
= come on
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P
When something or someone comes along, they occur or arrive by chance.
I waited a long time until a script came along that I thought was genuinely funny...
It was lucky you came along.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P adv, V P
If something is coming along, it is developing or making progress.
Pentagon spokesman Williams says those talks are coming along quite well...
How's Ferguson coming along?come around
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P to n
If someone comes around or comes round to your house, they call there to see you.
Beryl came round this morning to apologize...
Quite a lot of people came round to the house.
= come over
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P to n, V P
If you come around or come round to an idea, you eventually change your mind and accept it or agree with it.
It looks like they're coming around to our way of thinking...
She will eventually come round.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When something comes around or comes round, it happens as a regular or predictable event.
I hope still to be in the side when the World Cup comes around next year.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When someone who is unconscious comes around or comes round, they recover consciousness.
When I came round I was on the kitchen floor.
= come tocome at
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n with n, also V P n
If a person or animal comes at you, they move towards you in a threatening way and try to attack you.
He maintained that he was protecting himself from Mr Cox, who came at him with an axe.come back
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P to n, V P
If something that you had forgotten comes back to you, you remember it.
He was also an MP-I'll think of his name in a moment when it comes back to me...
When I thought about it, it all came back.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When something comes back, it becomes fashionable again.
I'm glad hats are coming back.
3
see also comebackcome back to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you come back to a topic or point, you talk about it again later.
`What does that mean please?'--`I'm coming back to that. Just write it down for the minute.'come between
[PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P pl-n
If someone or something comes between two people, or comes between a person and a thing, they make the relationship or connection between them less close or happy.
It's difficult to imagine anything coming between them...come by
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n
To come by something means to obtain it or find it.
How did you come by that cheque?...come down
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P to/from n, V P by n
If the cost, level, or amount of something comes down, it becomes less than it was before.
Interest rates should come down...
If you buy three bottles, the bottle price comes down to £2.42...
The price of petrol is coming down by four pence a gallon.
≠ go up
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If something comes down, it falls to the ground.
The cold rain came down...come down on
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you come down on one side of an argument, you declare that you support that side.
He clearly and decisively came down on the side of President Rafsanjani.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you come down on someone, you criticize them severely or treat them strictly.
If Douglas came down hard enough on him, Dale would rebel.come down to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n, it V P P n, it V P P n
If a problem, decision, or question comes down to a particular thing, that thing is the most important factor involved.
Walter Crowley says the problem comes down to money...
I think that it comes down to the fact that people do feel very dependent on their automobile...
What it comes down to is, there are bad people out there, and somebody has to deal with them.come for
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If people such as soldiers or police come for you, they come to find you, usually in order to harm you or take you away, for example to prison.
Lotte was getting ready to fight if they came for her.come forward
[PHRASAL VERB] V P
If someone comes forward, they offer to do something or to give some information in response to a request for help.
A vital witness came forward to say that she saw Tanner wearing the boots.come in
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If information, a report, or a telephone call comes in, it is received.
Reports are now coming in of trouble at yet another jail.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P
If you have some money coming in, you receive it regularly as your income.
She had no money coming in and no funds.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P on n, V P
If someone comes in on a discussion, arrangement, or task, they join it.
Can I come in here too, on both points?...
He had a designer come in and redesign the uniforms.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When a new idea, fashion, or product comes in, it becomes popular or available.
It was just when geography was really beginning to change and lots of new ideas were coming in...
5 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you ask where something or someone comes in, you are asking what their role is in a particular matter.
Rose asked again, `But where do we come in, Henry?'
6 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When the tide comes in, the water in the sea gradually moves so that it covers more of the land.
≠ go outcome into
1 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
If someone comes into some money, some property, or a title, they inherit it.
My father has just come into a fortune in diamonds.
= inherit
2 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
If someone or something comes into a situation, they have a role in it.
We don't really know where Hortense comes into all this...come off
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If something comes off, it is successful or effective.
It was a good try but it didn't quite come off...
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P adv
If someone comes off worst in a contest or conflict, they are in the worst position after it. If they come off best, they are in the best position.
Some Democrats still have bitter memories of how, against all odds, they came off worst during the inquiry...
3 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
If you come off a drug or medicine, you stop taking it.
...people trying to come off tranquillizers.
4 [CONVENTION]
You say `come off it' to someone to show them that you think what they are saying is untrue or wrong. (INFORMAL, SPOKEN)come on
1 [CONVENTION]
You say `Come on' to someone to encourage them to do something they do not much want to do. (SPOKEN)
Come on Doreen, let's dance.
= come along
2 [CONVENTION]
You say `Come on' to someone to encourage them to hurry up. (SPOKEN)
= come along
3 [PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P
If you have an illness or a headache coming on, you can feel it starting.
Tiredness and fever are much more likely to be a sign of flu coming on.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P adv
If something or someone is coming on well, they are developing well or making good progress.
Lee is coming on very well now and it's a matter of deciding how to fit him into the team...
= come along
5 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When something such as a machine or system comes on, it starts working or functioning.
The central heating was coming on and the ancient wooden boards creaked.
≠ go off
6 [PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P, it V P to-inf
If a new season or type of weather is coming on, it is starting to arrive.
Winter was coming on again...
I had two miles to go and it was just coming on to rain.come out
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When a new product such as a book or CD comes out, it becomes available to the public.
The book comes out this week...
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, it V P that
If a fact comes out, it becomes known to people.
The truth is beginning to come out about what happened...
It will come out that she has covertly donated considerable sums to the IRA.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P as n/adj
When a gay person comes out, they let people know that they are gay.
...the few gay men there who dare to come out...
I came out as a lesbian when I was still in my teens.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P adv/prep, V P adj, V P of n adv/prep
To come out in a particular way means to be in the position or state described at the end of a process or event.
In this grim little episode of recent American history, few people come out well...
So what makes a good marriage? Faithfulness comes out top of the list...
Julian ought to have resigned, then he'd have come out of it with some credit.
5 [PHRASAL VERB] V P prep/adv
If you come out for something, you declare that you support it. If you come out against something, you declare that you do not support it.
Its members had come out virtually unanimously against the tests.
6 [PHRASAL VERB] V P prep
When a group of workers comes out on strike, they go on strike. (BRIT; in AM, use go out on strike)
On September 18 the dockers again came out on strike.
7 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If a photograph does not come out, it does not appear or is unclear when it is developed and printed.
None of her snaps came out.
8 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When the sun, moon, or stars come out, they appear in the sky.
Oh, look. The sun's come out.
≠ go income out in
[PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P P n
If you come out in spots, you become covered with them. (BRIT; in AM, use break out)
When I changed to a new soap I came out in a terrible rash.
= break out income over
1 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n, V P n
If a feeling or desire, especially a strange or surprising one, comes over you, it affects you strongly.
As I entered the corridor which led to my room that eerie feeling came over me...
I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P adj
If someone comes over all dizzy or shy, for example, they suddenly start feeling or acting in that way.
When Connie pours her troubles out to him, Joe comes over all sensitive...
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P as n
If someone or what they are saying comes over in a particular way, they make that impression on people who meet them or are listening to them.
You come over as a capable and amusing companion...
= come acrosscome round
see come aroundcome through
1 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
To come through a dangerous or difficult situation means to survive it and recover from it.
The city had faced racial crisis and come through it...
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If a feeling or message comes through, it is clearly shown in what is said or done.
I hope my love for the material came through, because it is a great script...
= come across
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If something comes through, it arrives, especially after some procedure has been carried out.
The news came through at about five o'clock on election day.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P on/with n, V P for n
If you come through with what is expected or needed from you, you succeed in doing or providing it.
He puts his administration at risk if he doesn't come through on these promises for reform...
We found that we were totally helpless, and our women came through for us.come to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P
When someone who is unconscious comes to, they recover consciousness.
When he came to and raised his head he saw Barney.
= come aroundcome under
1 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
If you come under attack or pressure, for example, people attack you or put pressure on you.
His relationship with the KGB came under scrutiny.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
If something comes under a particular authority, it is managed or controlled by that authority.
They were neglected before because they did not come under the Ministry of Defence.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] no passive, V P n
If something comes under a particular heading, it is in the category mentioned.
There was more news about Britain, but it came under the heading of human interest.come up
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P to n
If someone comes up or comes up to you, they approach you until they are standing close to you.
Her cat came up and rubbed itself against their legs...
He came up to me and said: `Come on, John.'
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If something comes up in a conversation or meeting, it is mentioned or discussed.
The subject came up at a news conference in Peking today...
= crop up
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If something is coming up, it is about to happen or take place.
We do have elections coming up.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If something comes up, it happens unexpectedly.
I was delayed-something came up at home...
5 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P for n
If a job comes up or if something comes up for sale, it becomes available.
A research fellowship came up at Girton and I applied for it and got it...
The house came up for sale and the couple realised they could just about afford it.
6 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When the sun or moon comes up, it rises.
It will be so great watching the sun come up.
≠ go down
7 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
In law, when a case comes up, it is heard in a court of law.
He is one of the reservists who will plead not guilty when their cases come up.come up against
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you come up against a problem or difficulty, you are faced with it and have to deal with it.
We came up against a great deal of resistance in dealing with the case.come up to
[PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P P n
To be coming up to a time or state means to be getting near to it.
It's just coming up to ten minutes past eleven now.
= approachcome upon
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you come upon someone or something, you meet them or find them by chance.
I came upon an irresistible item at a yard sale.
= come across
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If an attitude or feeling comes upon you, it begins to affect you. (LITERARY)
A sense of impending doom came upon all of us.