come verb

BrE /kʌm/ ; NAmE /kʌm/

to a place

1 [intransitive] to move to or towards a person or place

(+ adverb/preposition) He came into the room and shut the door.

She comes to work by bus.

My son is coming home soon.

Come here!

Come and see us soon!

Here comes Jo!(= Jo is coming)

There's a storm coming.

come to do something They're coming to stay for a week.

In spoken English come can be used with and plus another verb, instead of with to and the infinitive, to show purpose or to tell
somebody what to do: When did she last come and see you? Come and have your dinner. The and is sometimes left out,
especially in North American English: Come have your dinner.

2 [intransitive] come (to…) to arrive at or reach a place

They continued until they came to a river.

What time did you come (= to my house)?

Spring came late this year.

Your breakfast is coming soon.

Have any letters come for me?

Help came at last.

The CD comes complete with all the words of the songs.

The time has come (= now is the moment) to act.

3 [intransitive] to arrive somewhere in order to do something or get something

come for something I've come for my book.

come about something I've come about my book.

come to do something I've come to get my book.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 come to do something I've come to get my book.

come doing something He came looking for me.

4 [intransitive] to move or travel, especially with somebody else, to a particular place or in order to be present at an event

I've only come for an hour.

Thanks for coming (= to my house, party, etc.).

come (to something) (with somebody) Are you coming to the club with us tonight?

come doing something Why don't you come skating tonight?

running/hurrying etc.

5 [intransitive] come doing something (+ adv.preposition) to move in a particular way or while doing something else

The children came running into the room.

travel

6 [intransitive] + noun to travel a particular distance

We've come 50 miles this morning.

(figurative) The company has come a long way (= made lot of progress) in the last 5 years.

happen

7 [intransitive] to happen

The agreement came after several hours of negotiations.

The rains came too late to do any good.

The high point of the concert came during the drum solo.

come as something Her death came as a terrible shock to us.

His resignation came as no surprise.

8 [transitive] come to do something used in questions to talk about how or why something happened

How did he come to break his leg?

How do you come to be so late?

to a position/state

9 [intransitive] + adverb/preposition (not used in the progressive tenses) to have a particular position

That comes a long way down my list of priorities.

His family comes first (= is the most important thing in his life).

She came second (= received the second highest score) in the exam.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
10 [intransitive] come to/into something used in many expressions to show that something has reached a particular state

At last winter came to an end.

He came to power in 2006.

When will they come to a decision?

The trees are coming into leaf.

11 [intransitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) (of goods, products, etc.) to be available or to exist in a particular way

come in something This dress comes in black and red.

New cars don't come cheap (= they are expensive).

12 [intransitive, transitive] to become

+ adjective The buttons had come undone.

The handle came loose.

Everything will come right in the end.

come to do something This design came to be known as the Oriental style.

13 [transitive] come to do something to reach a point where you realize, understand or believe something

In time she came to love him.

She had come to see the problem in a new light.

I've come to expect this kind of behaviour from him.

sex

14 [intransitive] (informal) to have an orgasm

Idioms

Most idioms containing come are at the entries for the nouns or adjectives in the idioms, for example come a cropper is
at cropper. 

be as ˌclever, ˌstupid, etc. as they ˈcome

(informal) to be very clever, stupid, etc.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 come the… (informal)

to play the part of a particular type of person; to behave in a particular way

Don't come the innocent with me.

ˌcome aˈgain?

(informal) used to ask somebody to repeat something

‘She's an entomologist.’ ‘Come again?’ ‘An entomologist—she studies insects.’

ˌcome and ˈgo

1 to arrive and leave; to move freely

They had a party next door—we heard people coming and going all night.

2 to be present for a short time and then go away

The pain in my leg comes and goes.

come ˈeasily, ˈnaturally, etc. to somebody

(of an activity, a skill, etc.) to be easy, natural, etc. for somebody to do

Acting comes naturally to her.

ˌcome over (all) ˈfaint, ˈdizzy, ˈgiddy, etc.

(old-fashioned, British English, informal) to suddenly feel ill/sick or faint

come to ˈnothing, not ˈcome to anything

to be unsuccessful; to have no successful result

How sad that all his hard work should come to nothing.

Her plans didn't come to anything.

come to ˈthat, if it comes to ˈthat

(informal, especially British English) used to introduce something extra that is connected with what has just been said

I don't really trust him—nor his wife, come to that.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 ˌcome what ˈmay

despite any problems or difficulties you may have

He promised to support her come what may.

how come (…)? (informal)

used to say you do not understand how something can happen and would like an explanation

‘I think you owe me some money.’ ‘How come?’

If she spent five years in Paris, how come her French is so bad?

not ˈcome to much

to not be important or successful

to ˈcome

(used after a noun) in the future

They may well regret the decision in years to come.

This will be a problem for some time to come (= for a period of time in the future).

when it comes to something/to doing something

when it is a question of something

When it comes to getting things done, he's useless.

where somebody is ˈcoming from

(informal) somebody’s ideas, beliefs, personality, etc. that makes them say what they have said

I see where you're coming from (= I understand what you mean).

Phrasal Verbs

ˌcome aˈbout (that…)

to happen

Can you tell me how the accident came about?

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 ˌcome aˈcross
(also ˌcome ˈover)

1 to be understood

He spoke for a long time but his meaning didn't really come across.

2 to make a particular impression

She comes across well in interviews.

He came over as a sympathetic person.

ˈcome across somebody/something

[no passive] to meet or find somebody/something by chance

I came across children sleeping under bridges.

She came across some old photographs in a drawer.

ˌcome aˈcross (with something)

[no passive] to provide or supply something when you need it

I hoped she'd come across with some more information.

ˌcome ˈafter somebody

[no passive] to chase or follow somebody

ˌcome aˈlong

1 to arrive; to appear

When the right opportunity comes along, she'll take it.

2 to go somewhere with somebody

I'm glad you came along.

3 (informal) to improve or develop in the way that you want

SYNONYM progress

Your French has come along a lot recently.

4 used in orders to tell somebody to hurry, or to try harder

Come along! We're late.

Come along! It's easy!

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 Come along! It's easy!

ˌcome aˈpart

to break into pieces

The book just came apart in my hands.

(figurative) My whole life had come apart at the seams.

ˌcome aˈround/ˈround

1
(also ˌcome ˈto)
to become conscious again

Your mother hasn't yet come round from the anaesthetic.

2 (of a date or a regular event) to happen again

My birthday seems to come around quicker every year.

ˌcome aˈround/ˈround (to…)

to come to a place, especially somebody’s house, to visit for a short time

Do come around and see us some time.

ˌcome aˈround/ˈround (to something)

to change your mood or your opinion

He'll never come round to our way of thinking.

ˈcome at somebody

[no passive] to move towards somebody as though you are going to attack them

She came at me with a knife.

(figurative) The noise came at us from all sides.

ˈcome at something

to think about a problem, question, etc. in a particular way

SYNONYM approach

We're getting nowhere—let's come at it from another angle.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 We're getting nowhere—let's come at it from another angle.

ˌcome aˈway (from something)

to become separated from something

The plaster had started to come away from the wall.

ˌcome aˈway with something

[no passive] to leave a place with a particular feeling or impression

We came away with the impression that all was not well with their marriage.

ˌcome ˈback

1 to return

You came back (= came home) very late last night.

The colour was coming back to her cheeks.

(figurative) United came back from being two goals down to win 3–2.
+ SYNONYMS

2 to become popular or successful again

Long hair for men seems to be coming back in.

RELATED NOUN comeback (2)

ˌcome ˈback (at somebody) (with something)

to reply to somebody angrily or with force

She came back at the speaker with some sharp questions.

RELATED NOUN comeback (3)

ˌcome ˈback (to somebody)

to return to somebody’s memory

It's all coming back to me now.

Once you've been in France a few days, your French will soon come back.

ˌcome ˈback to something

[no passive] to return to a subject, an idea, etc

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 Let's come back to the point at issue.

It all comes back to a question of money.

ˈcome before somebody/something

[no passive] (formal) to be presented to somebody/something for discussion or a decision

The case comes before the court next week.

ˌcome beˈtween somebody and somebody

[no passive] to damage a relationship between two people

I'd hate anything to come between us.

ˌcome ˈby (something)

(North American English) to make a short visit to a place, in order to see somebody

She came by the house.

ˈcome by something

1 to manage to get something

Jobs are hard to come by these days.

2 to receive something

How did you come by that scratch on your cheek?

ˌcome ˈdown

1 to break and fall to the ground

The ceiling came down with a terrific crash.

2 (of rain, snow, etc.) to fall

The rain came down in torrents.

3 (of an aircraft) to land or fall from the sky

We were forced to come down in a field.

4 if a price, a temperature, a rate, etc. comes down, it gets lower

The price of gas is coming down.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 Gas is coming down in price.

5 to decide and say publicly that you support or oppose somebody

The committee came down in support of his application.

6 to reach as far down as a particular point

Her hair comes down to her waist.

ˌcome ˈdown (from…)

(British English, formal) to leave a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge, at the end of a term or after finishing your studies

OPPOSITE come up (to…)

ˌcome ˈdown (from…) (to…)

to come from one place to another, usually from the north of a country to the south, or from a larger place to a smaller one

ˌcome ˈdown on somebody

[no passive] (informal) to criticize somebody severely or punish somebody

Don't come down too hard on her.

The courts are coming down heavily on young offenders.

ˌcome ˈdown (to somebody)

to have come from a long time in the past

The name has come down from the last century.

ˌcome ˈdown to something

[no passive] to be able to be explained by a single important point

What it comes down to is either I get more money or I leave.

ˌcome ˈdown with something

[no passive] to get an illness that is not very serious

I think I'm coming down with flu.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 ˌcome ˈforward

to offer your help, services, etc

Several people came forward with information.

Police have asked witnesses of the accident to come forward.

ˈcome from…

(not used in the progressive tenses) to have as your place of birth or the place where you live

She comes from London.

Where do you come from?

ˈcome from something

1 to start in a particular place or be produced from a particular thing

Much of our butter comes from New Zealand.

This wool comes from goats, not sheep.

This poem comes from his new book.

Where does her attitude come from?

Where's that smell coming from?

He comes from a family of actors.

‘She doesn't try hard enough.’ ‘That's rich, coming from you (= you do not try hard either).’

= come of/from something

ˌcome ˈin

1 when the tide comes in, it moves towards the land

OPPOSITE go out

2 to finish a race in a particular position

My horse came in last.

3 to become fashionable

Long hair for men came in in the sixties.

OPPOSITE go out

4 to become available

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 We're still waiting for copies of the book to come in.

5 to have a part in something

I understand the plan perfectly, but I can't see where I come in.

6 to arrive somewhere; to be received

The train is coming in now.

News is coming in of a serious plane crash in France.

She has over a thousand pounds a month coming in from her investments.

7 to take part in a discussion

Would you like to come in at this point, Susan?

8 (of a law or rule) to be introduced; to begin to be used

ˌcome ˈin for something

[no passive] to receive something, especially something unpleasant

The government's economic policies have come in for a lot of criticism.

ˌcome ˈin (on something)

to become involved in something

If you want to come in on the deal, you need to decide now.

ˌcome ˈinto something [no passive]

1 to be left money by somebody who has died

She came into a fortune when her uncle died.

2 to be important in a particular situation

I've worked very hard to pass this exam—luck doesn't come into it.

ˈcome of/from something

to be the result of something

I made a few enquiries, but nothing came of it in the end.

come of/from doing something That comes of eating too much!

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 ˌcome ˈoff

1 to be able to be removed

Does this hood come off?

That mark won't come off.

2 (informal) to take place; to happen

Did the trip to Rome ever come off?

3 (informal) (of a plan, etc.) to be successful; to have the intended effect or result

They had wanted it to be a surprise but the plan didn't come off.

4 come off well, badly, etc. (informal) to be successful/not successful in a fight, contest, etc

I thought they came off very well in the debate.

ˌcome ˈoff (something)

1 to fall from something

to come off your bicycle/horse

2 to become separated from something

When I tried to lift the jug, the handle came off in my hand.

A button had come off my coat.

ˌcome ˈoff it

(informal) used to disagree with somebody rudely

Come off it! We don't have a chance.

ˌcome ˈoff something

[no passive] to stop taking medicine, a drug, alcohol, etc

I've tried to get him to come off the tranquillizers.

ˌcome ˈon

1 (of an actor) to walk onto the stage

2 (of a player) to join a team during a game

Owen came on for Brown ten minutes before the end of the game.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
3 (informal) to improve or develop in the way you want

The project is coming on fine.

4 used in orders to tell somebody to hurry or to try harder

Come on! We don't have much time.

Come on! Try once more.

5 used to show that you know what somebody has said is not correct

Oh, come on—you know that isn't true!

6 (usually used in the progressive tenses) (of an illness or a mood) to begin

I can feel a cold coming on.

I think there's rain coming on.

come on to do something It came on to rain.

7 (of a TV programme, etc.) to start

What time does the news come on?

8 to begin to operate

Set the oven to come on at six.

When does the heating come on?

ˈcome on/upon somebody/something

[no passive] (formal) to meet or find somebody/something by chance

ˌcome ˈon to somebody

(informal) to behave in a way that shows somebody that you want to have a sexual relationship with them

RELATED NOUN come-on

ˌcome ˈon to something

[no passive] to start talking about a subject

I'd like to come on to that question later.

ˌcome ˈout

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
1 when the sun, moon or stars come out, they appear

The rain stopped and the sun came out.

2 (of flowers) to open

The daffodils came out early this year.

3 to be produced or published

When is her new novel coming out?

4 (of news, the truth, etc.) to become known

The full story came out at the trial.

it comes out that… It came out that he'd been telling lies.

5 if a photograph comes out, it is a clear picture when it is developed and printed

Some of the photos from our trip didn't come out.

6 to be shown clearly

Her best qualities come out in a crisis.

7 when words come out, they are spoken

I tried to say ‘I love you,’ but the words wouldn't come out.

8 to say publicly whether you agree or disagree with something

He came out against the plan.

In her speech, the senator came out in favour of a change in the law.

9 (British English) to stop work and go on strike

10 to no longer hide the fact that you are homosexual

11 (of a young upper-class girl, especially in the past) to be formally introduced into society

ˌcome ˈout (of something)

1 (of an object) to be removed from a place where it is fixed

This nail won't come out.

2 (of dirt, a mark, etc.) to be removed from something by washing or cleaning

These ink stains won't come out of my dress.

Will the colour come out (= become faint or disappear) if I wash it?

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 ˌcome ˈout at something

[no passive] to add up to a particular cost or sum

The total bill comes out at £500.

ˌcome ˈout in something

[no passive] (of a person) to become covered in spots, etc. on the skin

Hot weather makes her come out in a rash.

ˌcome ˈout of yourself

to relax and become more confident and friendly with other people

It was when she started drama classes that she really came out of herself.

ˌcome ˈout of something

[no passive] to develop from something

The book came out of his experiences in India.

Rock music came out of the blues.

ˌcome ˈout with something

[no passive] to say something, especially something surprising or rude

He came out with a stream of abuse.

She sometimes comes out with the most extraordinary remarks.

ˌcome ˈover

1 (British English, informal) to suddenly feel something

+ adjective to come over funny/dizzy/faint

I come over all shy whenever I see her.

= come across

He came over well in the interview.

ˌcome ˈover (to…)

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
to come to a place, especially somebody’s house, to visit for a short time

ˌcome ˈover (to…) (from…)

to travel from one place to another, usually over a long distance

Why don't you come over to England in the summer?

Her grandparents came over from Ireland during the famine.

ˌcome ˈover (to something)

to change from one side, opinion, etc. to another

ˌcome ˈover somebody

[no passive] to affect somebody

A fit of dizziness came over her.

I can't think what came over me (= I do not know what caused me to behave in that way).

ˌcome ˈround | ˌcome ˈround (to something)

(British English)

= come around/round

ˌcome ˈthrough

(of news or a message) to arrive by telephone, radio, etc. or through an official organization

A message is just coming through.

ˌcome ˈthrough (something)

to get better after a serious illness or to avoid serious injury

SYNONYM survive

With such a weak heart she was lucky to come through the operation.

ˌcome ˈthrough (with something)

to successfully do or complete something that you have promised to do

We were worried she wouldn't be able to handle it, but she came through in the end.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 We were worried she wouldn't be able to handle it, but she came through in the end.

The bank finally came through with the money.

ˌcome ˈto

= come around/round

ˌcome to yourˈself

(old-fashioned) to return to your normal state

ˈcome to somebody

[no passive] (of an idea) to enter your mind

The idea came to me in the bath.

come to somebody that… It suddenly came to her that she had been wrong all along.

ˈcome to something [no passive]

1 to add up to something

The bill came to $30.

I never expected those few items to come to so much.

2 to reach a particular situation, especially a bad one

The doctors will operate if necessary—but it may not come to that.

Who'd have thought things would come to this (= become so bad)?

ˌcome toˈgether

if two or more different people or things come together, they form a united group

Three colleges have come together to create a new university.

Bits and pieces of things he'd read and heard were coming together, and he began to understand.

ˈcome under something [no passive]

1 to be included in a particular group

What heading does this come under?

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
2 to be a person that others are attacking or criticizing

The head teacher came under a lot of criticism from the parents.

3 to be controlled or influenced by something

All her students came under her spell.

ˌcome ˈup

1 (of plants) to appear above the soil

The daffodils are just beginning to come up.

2 (of the sun) to rise

We watched the sun come up.

3 to happen

I'm afraid something urgent has come up.

We'll let you know if any vacancies come up.

4 to be mentioned or discussed

The subject came up in conversation.

The question is bound to come up at the meeting.

5 (of an event or a time) to be going to happen very soon

Her birthday is coming up soon.

6 to be dealt with by a court

Her divorce case comes up next month.

7 if your number, name, ticket, etc. comes up in a betting game, it is chosen and you win something

8 (informal) (usually used in the progressive tenses) to arrive; to be ready soon

‘Is lunch ready?’ ‘Coming up!’

ˌcome ˈup (to…)

(British English, formal) to arrive at a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge, at the beginning of a term or in order to begin
your studies

OPPOSITE come down (from…)

ˌcome ˈup (to…) (from…)

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
to come from one place to another, especially from the south of a country to the north or from a smaller place to a larger one

Why don't you come up to Scotland for a few days?

ˌcome ˈup (to somebody)

to move towards somebody, in order to talk to them

He came up to me and asked me the way to the station.

ˌcome ˈup against somebody/something

[no passive] to be faced with or opposed by somebody/something

We expect to come up against a lot of opposition to the plan.

ˌcome ˈup for something [no passive]

1 to be considered for a job, an important position, etc

She comes up for re-election next year.

2 to be reaching the time when something must be done

His contract is coming up for renewal.

ˌcome ˈup to something [no passive]

1 to reach as far as a particular point

The water came up to my neck.

2 to reach an acceptable level or standard

His performance didn't really come up to his usual high standard.

Their trip to France didn't come up to expectations.

ˌcome ˈup with something

[no passive] to find or produce an answer, a sum of money, etc

She came up with a new idea for increasing sales.

How soon can you come up with the money?

ˈcome upon somebody/something

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 ˈcome upon somebody/something

= come on/upon somebody/something

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015