Phrasal verbs with Come

 

Come about

to happen; to occur:

• Can you tell me how the damage came about?
• How did it come about that you stopped using traditional methods?

Come across

1. to meet someone or find something unexpectedly:

• I came across some old coins in the drawer.
• I've never come across anyone like her.

2. to seem to have particular qualities:

• He didn’t come across very well in the interview.
• He comes across as an unpleasant person, but he’s actually nice.

Come along

1. to arrive or appear:

• A job opportunity like this doesn't come along every day.
• Why do three buses always come along at once?

2. to go somewhere with someone:

• We're going to the concert. Do you want to come along?
• If you go to the library, I'll come along.

3. to improve or develop:

• How is your French coming along?
• The talks are coming along very well.

Come apart

to become separated into several pieces:

• The book was very old that it just came apart in my hands.
• The farmhouse was coming apart at the seams.

Come around/round

1. to regain consciousness: (synonym: come to)

• The patient hasn't come round from the anaesthetic yet.
• I fainted from hunger but soon came around.

2. to arrive or happen again:

• Friday has come round quite quickly.
• I always feel much better when the spring comes around.

3. to change your view or opinion:

• He'll never come around to our point of view.
• I believe he will come around eventually.

Come away

to become removed from something:

• The heat from the radiator can cause the paper to come away from the wall.
• I turned the handle and it came away in my hand.

Come back

1. to return to someone or something:

• She left her hometown at the age of 12 and has never come back.
• He hopes his ex-girlfriend will come back to him one day.

2. to begin to be remembered again:

• When I saw the photos, the memories of my school days came rushing back.
• I can’t think of the woman’s name right now, but it’ll come back to me.

Come before

to be presented to someone in authority:

• The issue will come before the court again.
• He came before the court on charges of racism.

Come between

to cause problems for a relationship between two people:

• We love each other and nothing will ever come between us.
• Don't let financial troubles come between you.

Come by

to get something, especially something that is difficult to get:

• Jobs are not easy to come by nowadays.
• How did you come by that watch?

Come down

1. to fall to the ground after breaking apart:

• Our apple trees came down in the storm.
• The ceiling came down in the blink of an eye.

2. to fall heavily (snow or rain):

• The snow was coming down so hard.
• Just as I was leaving home the rain started to come down.

3. to become less in price or level:

• House prices are coming down.
• Interest rates have come down in the past few months.

Come down on

to criticize someone very strongly or punish someone:

• They came down on him like a ton of bricks.
• The critics came down hard on the television series.

Come down with

to become ill with a particular illness:

• I think I'm coming down with flu.
• I came down with a cold and missed the match

Come in

1. to enter a place, such as a room or building:

• Come in and sit down.
• Welcome ‒ please come in.

2. to arrive at a place or destination:

• What time does your flight come in?
• That train just came in.

3. to be received:

• News is coming in of a massive fire in Australia.
• Reports are just coming in of a serious accident on the freeway.

4. to finish a race in a certain position:

• My brother came in second place in the essay contest.
• I bet £100 on the horse that came in second.

Come in for

to receive a negative reaction:

• The former minister has come in for a lot of criticism over his remark.
• The government came in for sharp criticism over its policies.

Come down to

to be the essential aspect of something:

• In the end, it all comes down to money.
• It comes down to this: lack of experience.

Come into

to receive money, a house, etc. from someone after they have died:

• She came into all of that money when her aunt died.
• After his father died, he came into some money.

Come of

to be the result of something:

• We had a long discussion, but nothing came of it in the end.
• Did anything come of all those enquiries?

Come off

1. to become removed from something:

• A button had come off my shirt.
• Don't pull too hard or the knob will come off.

2. to be accomplished, to success; to happen:

• It was a good plan, but it didn’t quite come off.
• The summit never came off.

3. to stop using medicine or drugs:

• He is trying to come off tranquilizers.
• I’ve come off the tablets because they were making me feel tired and giddy.

Come on

1. said to encourage someone to do something or to hurry up:

• Come on! We’re going to be late.
• Come on! Give it a try.

2. to make good progress or to improve:

• He’s coming on fine with his guitar playing.
• Your English is coming on nicely.

3. to start working:

• What time does the heating come on in the morning?
• The street lights came on.

Come out

1. to become publicly available:

• When will the new Matrix movie come out?
• The new edition will come out next month.

2. to become known:

• The truth about the accident may never come out.
• There was public outrage when the details of the scandal came out.

3. to appear in the sky:

• The clouds broke and the sun came out.
• The sun came out and we went for a walk in the park.

Come out with

to say something unusual or unexpected:

• He came out with a feeble excuse.
• She sometimes comes out with strange ideas.

Come over

1. to visit someone’s house, or to move from one place or country to another:

• Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?
• Her great-grandparents came over from Ireland during the Irish potato famine.

2. to affect someone:

• I do apologize. I don't know what came over me.
• A strange feeling began to come over me.

Come through

1. to arrive (news or a message):

• The news is coming through of a large fire in the city centre.
• The call from the police came through at 4 o'clock.

2. to survive a dangerous or difficult situation:

• We've had some really tough times but we’ve come through together.
• He came through the operation very well.

Come to

1. to remember or think of something:

• The idea came to me while driving.
• I can't remember her name, but it will come to me in a minute.

2. to add up to a particular total:

• The bill comes to $40.
• How much does that come to?

Come under

1. to be forced to experience or suffer something, usually something unpleasant or dangerous:

• The government came under a lot of criticism over its policies.
• Our soldiers were under fire from enemy snipers.

2. to be managed or controlled by a particular authority:

• The bus service comes under the transport authority.
• When did the island come under French control?

Come up

1. to be mentioned or discussed:

• The issue of overtime came up at the meeting yesterday.
• This topic comes up every month.

2. to happen, usually unexpectedly: to become available:

• I’m sorry that I can’t come – something’s come up.
• Please let us know if any vacancies come up.

3. to be about to happen or take place:

• My birthday is coming up soon.
• We do have exams coming up.

4. to come near to someone, in order to talk to them:

• After the concert, a little girl came up and asked me for my autograph.
• A woman came up to him and asked the way to the station.

Come up against

to have to deal with a problem or difficult situation:

• We came up against very strong opposition to the plan.
• The new law came up against a lot of resistance.

Come up for

to reach the time at which something must be done:

• The contract comes up for renewal at the end of the month.
• The policy comes up for review in August.

Come upon

to find or discover something by chance:

• I came upon this old book in the loft.
• As we turned the corner, we came upon a charming little Italian restaurant.

Come up to

to reach an acceptable standard or to be as good as you wanted or expected:

• His latest film didn't really come up to his usual standard.
• The new software didn't come up to expectations.

Come up with

to suggest or think of something like an idea or plan:

• He came up with a less toxic method of pest control.
• They’ve come up with new ways of working more efficiently.