come

Pronunciation: /kʌm/

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Definition of come

verb (past came /keɪm/; past participle come)

1 [no object, usually with adverbial of direction] move or travel towards or into a place thought of as near or familiar to the speaker:Jess came into the kitchen they came here as immigrants he came rushing out
arrive at a specified place:we walked along till we came to a stream it was very late when she came back my trunk hasn’t come yet
(of a thing) reach or extend to a specified point:women in slim dresses that came all the way to their shoes the path comes straight down
(be coming) approach:someone was coming she heard the train coming
travel in order to be with a specified person, to do a specified thing, or to be present at an event:the police came come and live with me [with infinitive]:the electrician came to mend the cooker figurativewe have come a long way since Aristotle
[with present participle] join someone in participating in a specified activity or course of action:do you want to come fishing tomorrow?
(come along/on) make progress; develop:he’s coming along nicely she asked them how their garden was coming on
(in imperative also come, come!) said to someone when correcting or reassuring someone:Come, come, child, don’t thank me

2 [no object] occur; happen; take place:twilight had not yet come his father waited for a phone call that never came a chance like this doesn’t come along every day
be heard, perceived, or experienced:a voice came from the kitchen it came as a great shock
[with adverbial] (of a quality) become apparent or noticeable through actions or performance:as an actor your style and personality must come through
(come across or British over or US off) (of a person) appear or sound in a specified way; give a specified impression:he’d always come across as a decent sort
(of a thought or memory) enter one’s mind:the basic idea came to me while reading an article a passage from a novel came back to Adam

3 [no object, with complement] take or occupy a specified position in space, order, or priority:prisons come well down the list of priorities I make sure my kids come first
achieve a specified place in a race or contest:she came second among sixty contestants

4 [no object, with complement] pass into a specified state, especially one of separation or disunion:his shirt had come undone
(come to/into) reach or be brought to a specified situation or result:you will come to no harm staff who come into contact with the public the vehicle came to rest against a traffic signal
[with infinitive] eventually reach a certain condition or state of mind:he had come to realize she was no puppet

5 [no object, with adverbial] be sold, available, or found in a specified form:the cars come with a variety of extras the shirts come in three sizes

6 [no object] informal have an orgasm.

preposition

informal

when a specified time is reached or event happens:I don’t think that they’ll be far away from honours come the new season

noun

[mass noun] informal

semen ejaculated at an orgasm.

Phrases

as —— as they come: used to describe someone or something that is a supreme example of the quality specified:Smith is as tough as they come
come again?: informal used to ask someone to repeat or explain something they have said: ‘It’s a bit like Sherlock Holmes’s dog.’ ‘Come again?’ Madge looked blankly at her. ‘Come again?’
come and go: arrive and then depart again; move around freely: he continued to come and go as he pleased; exist or be present for a limited time; be transitory:kings and queens may come and go, but the Crown goes on forever
come from behind: win after lagging.
come off it: [in imperative] informal said when vigorously expressing disbelief: ‘Come off it, he’ll know that’s a lie.’
come right: informal have a good outcome; end well: don’t worry—I’m sure it’ll come right
come the ——: informal play the part of; behave like:don’t come the innocent with me
come to nothing: have no significant or successful result in the end: he is convinced talk of a leadership challenge will come to nothing
come to pass: chiefly literary happen; occur:it came to pass that she had two sons
come to that (or if it comes to that): British informal in fact (said to introduce an additional point):there isn’t a clock on the mantelpiece—come to that, there isn’t a mantelpiece!
come to think of it: on reflection (said when an idea or point occurs to one while one is speaking): come to think of it, that was very daring of you
come what may: no matter what happens: a woman was supposed to stand by her man all the time, come what may
have it coming (to one): informal be due for retribution on account of something bad that one has done:his uppity sister-in-law had it coming to her
how come?: informal said when asking how or why something happened or is the case:how come you never married, Jimmy?
to come: (following a noun) in the future:films that would inspire generations to come in years to come
where someone is coming from: informal someone’s meaning, motivation, or personality: George doesn’t know me, he doesn’t know where I’m coming from

Phrasal Verbs

come about
come across
come along: [in imperative] said when encouraging someone or telling them to hurry up: That’s our man, Watson! Come along!
come amid: (of an action or event) be accompanied by; happen at the same time as:the cuts come amid increasing competition in Hong Kong
come around: see come round.
come at: launch oneself at (someone) to attack them: he shot an officer who came at him from behind
come away: be left with a specified feeling, impression, or result after doing something:she came away feeling upset
come back
come before: be dealt with by (a judge or court):it is the most controversial issue to come before the Supreme Court
come between: interfere with or disturb the relationship of (two people):I let my stupid pride come between us
come by
come down
come down on: criticize or punish (someone) harshly:she came down on me like a ton of bricks
come down to: (of a situation or outcome) be dependent on (a specified factor):it came down to her word against Guy’s
come down with: begin to suffer from (a specified illness):I came down with influenza
come for
come forward: volunteer oneself for a task or post or to give evidence about a crime: two witnesses have come forward with information no one would come forward to claim the body
come from: originate in; have as its source:the word caviar comes from Italian; be the result of:a dignity that comes from being in control; have as one’s place of birth or residence:I come from Sheffield; be descended from:she comes from a family of Muslim scholars
come in
come in for: receive or be the object of (a reaction), typically a negative one:he has come in for a lot of criticism
come into: suddenly receive (money or property), especially by inheriting it: he came into an inheritance
come of: result from:no good will come of it; be descended from:she came of Dorset stock
come off
come on
come on to: informal make sexual advances towards: he was a flirt, he came on to everyone
come out
come out in: British (of a person’s skin) break out in (spots or a similar condition): Jason came out in a hot flush
come out with: say (something) in a sudden, rude, or incautious way: a gentleman should not come out with those remarks
come over
come round
come through
come to
come under
come up
come up against: be faced with or opposed by:I’d come up against this kind of problem before
come up with: produce (something), especially when pressured or challenged:he keeps coming up with all kinds of lame excuses
come upon

Origin:

Old English cuman, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch komen and German kommen

The use of come followed by and, as in come and see for yourself, dates back to Old English, but is seen by some as incorrect or only suitable for informal English: for more details see and (usage).

come in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of come in the US English dictionary

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Other

verb (past came /keɪm/; past participle come)

preposition

noun

Phrases

as —— as they come

come again?

come and go

come from behind

come off it

come right

come the ——

come to nothing

come to pass

come to that (or if it comes to that)

come to think of it

come what may

have it coming (to one)

how come?

to come

where someone is coming from

Phrasal Verbs

come about

come across

come along

come amid

come around

come at

come away

come back

come before

come between

come by

come down

come down on

come down to

come down with

come for

come forward

come from

come in

come in for

come into

come of

come off

come on

come on to

come out

come out in

come out with

come over

come round

come through

come to

come under

come up

come up against

come up with

come upon

Origin:

come in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

More results for come

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