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come
[ kuhm ]
verb (used without object)
- to approach or move toward a particular person or place: Don't come any closer!
Come here.
Don't come any closer!
- to arrive by movement or in the course of progress:
The train from Boston is coming.
- to approach or arrive in time, in succession, etc.: I'll come to your question next.
Christmas comes once a year.
I'll come to your question next.
- to move into view; appear:
A gorgeous rainbow came over the valley.
The dress comes to her knees.
Success comes to those who strive.
- to occur at a certain point, position, etc.: Her aria comes in the third act.
Tuesday comes after Monday.
Her aria comes in the third act.
- to be available, produced, offered, etc.:
Toothpaste comes in a tube.
- to occur to the mind:
The idea just came to me.
- to befall:
They promised no harm would come to us.
Peaches come from trees. Good results do not come from careless work.
- to arrive or appear as a result:
This comes of carelessness.
- to enter or be brought into a specified state or condition:
to come into popular use.
- to do or manage; fare:
She's coming along well with her work.
- to enter into being or existence; be born:
The baby came at dawn.
- to have been a resident or to be a native of (usually followed by from ):
She comes from Florida.
- to become:
His shoes came untied.
- to seem to become:
His fears made the menacing statues come alive. The work will come easy with a little practice.
- (used in the imperative to call attention or to express impatience, anger, remonstrance, etc.):
Come, that will do!
- to germinate, as grain.
- Slang: Vulgar. to have an orgasm.
verb (used with object)
- Chiefly British. to do; perform; accomplish:
Please don't ask me to carry in one more box—I just can't come it.
- Informal. to play the part of:
to come the grande dame.
noun
- Slang: Vulgar. semen.
verb phrase
- to fit into a category or classification:
This play comes under the heading of social criticism.
- to be the province or responsibility of:
This matter comes under the State Department.
- Also come upon. to find or encounter, especially by chance: We suddenly came upon a deer while walking in the woods.
I came across this picture when I was cleaning out the attic.
We suddenly came upon a deer while walking in the woods.
- Informal. to make good one's promise, as to pay a debt, do what is expected, etc.:
to come across with the rent.
- to be understandable or convincing:
The moral of this story doesn't come across.
- Informal. to make a particular impression; comport oneself:
She comes across as a very cold person.
- (used as a request to repeat a statement).
How did he ever come by so much money?
- to offer one's services; present oneself; volunteer:
When the president called for volunteers, several members of our group came forward.
- to rise:
The sun came up and the fog burned off.
- to be referred to; arise:
The subject kept coming up in conversation.
- to be presented for action or discussion:
The farm bill comes up for consideration next Monday.
- to mature or learn, or to rise in rank:
They are mostly looking at those major league players who come up through the minors.
- Slang. hail from or grow up in:
When you come up in the ’hood, you learn to value loyalty.
- to be published; appear.
- to become known; be revealed.
- to make a debut in society, the theater, etc.
- to end; terminate:
The fight came out badly, as both combatants were injured.
- to acknowledge and publicly reveal a sexual orientation or gender identity that does not conform to socially defined norms:
After an unsuccessful five-year marriage to a man, I finally came out as a lesbian.
- to publicly acknowledge a surprising interest or hobby, or to identify in an unexpected way as part of a fandom, a supporter of a particular political party, etc.: She came out as a fan of reality TV .
I haven’t come out as a Trekkie to my coworkers yet.
She came out as a fan of reality TV
- to receive; get; be subjected to:
This plan will no doubt come in for a great deal of criticism.
- to happen to; affect:
What's come over him?
- to change sides or positions; change one's mind:
He was initially against the plan, but he's come over now.
- to visit informally:
Our neighbors came over last night and we had a good chat.
- to voice one's opposition to:
She came down on increased spending and promised to cut the budget.
- to reprimand; scold:
He came down on me for getting to work late.
- to cause to be estranged or antagonized:
Love of money came between the brothers.
- to produce; supply:
Can you come up with the right answer?
- to endorse or support publicly:
The newspaper came out for the reelection of the mayor.
- to recover consciousness.
- to amount to; total.
- Nautical. to take the way off a vessel, slowing or stopping its movement, as by bringing its head into the wind or anchoring.
- Also come upon. to meet or find unexpectedly.
- to appear on stage; make one's entrance.
- to begin; appear:
The last showing will be coming on in a few minutes.
- Informal. (used chiefly in the imperative) to hurry; begin:
Come on, before it rains!
- Informal. (as an entreaty or attempt at persuasion) please:
Come on, go with us to the movies.
- Slang. to try to make an impression or have an effect; present oneself:
She comes on a bit too strong for my taste.
- Slang. to make sexual advances:
a Lothario who was always coming on with the women at the office.
- to approach; near:
A panhandler came up to us in the street.
- Nautical. (of a sailing vessel) to head toward the wind; come to.
- to come to pass; happen.
- Nautical. to tack.
- to accompany someone, attend as part of a group:
He didn't come along on the last trip.
- to proceed, develop, or advance sufficiently or successfully:
The new project was coming along quite smoothly.
- to appear; emerge as a factor or possibility:
Even if another job comes along this summer, I won't take it.
- to endure or finish successfully.
- Informal. to experience religious conversion.
- to acquire; get.
- to inherit:
He came into a large fortune at the age of 21.
- to speak, especially to confess or reveal something.
- to make available to the public; bring out:
The publisher is coming out with a revised edition of the textbook.
- to become afflicted with (an illness):
Many people came down with the flu this year.
- Slang. to make sexual advances to.
- to enter.
- to arrive.
- to come into use or fashion.
- to begin to produce or yield:
The oil well finally came in.
- to be among the winners:
His horse came in and paid 5 to 1.
- to finish in a race or any competition, as specified:
Our bobsled team came in fifth.
- to return, especially to one's memory:
It all comes back to me now.
- to return to a former position or state.
- to talk back; retort:
to come back with a witty remark.
- to lose wealth, rank, etc.; be reduced in circumstances or status.
- to be handed down by tradition or inheritance.
- to be relayed or passed along from a source of higher rank or authority:
The general's orders will come down tomorrow.
- Slang. to take place; happen.
- Slang. to lose one's euphoria, enthusiasm, or especially the effects of a drug high.
come
/ kʌm /
verb
- to move towards a specified person or place
come to my desk
- to arrive by movement or by making progress
- to become perceptible
light came into the sky
- to occur in the course of time
Christmas comes but once a year
- to exist or occur at a specific point in a series
your turn comes next
- to happen as a result
no good will come of this
- to originate or be derived
good may come of evil
- to occur to the mind
the truth suddenly came to me
- to extend or reach
she comes up to my shoulder
- to be produced or offered
that dress comes in red only
- to arrive at or be brought into a particular state or condition
you will soon come to grief
the new timetable comes into effect on Monday
- foll by from to be or have been a resident or native (of)
I come from London
- to become
your wishes will come true
- tr; takes an infinitive to be given awareness
I came to realize its enormous value
- (of grain) to germinate
- slang.to have an orgasm
- informal.tr to play the part of
don't come the fine gentleman with me
- informal.tr to cause or produce
don't come that nonsense again
- subjunctive use when (a specified time or event has arrived or begun)
she'll be sixteen come Sunday
come the revolution, you'll be the first to go
- as…as they comethe most characteristic example of a class or type
- come again? informal.what did you say?
- come andimperative or dependent imperative to move towards a particular person or thing or accompany a person with some specified purpose
come and see what I've found
- come clean informal.to make a revelation or confession
- come good informal.to recover and perform well after a bad start or setback
- come it slang.
- to pretend; act a part
- to exaggerate
- often foll by over to try to impose (upon)
- to divulge a secret; inform the police
- come to lightto be revealed
- come to light with informal.to find or produce
- come to pass archaic.to take place
- how come? informal.what is the reason that?
interjection
- an exclamation expressing annoyance, irritation, etc
come now!
come come!
noun
- semen
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of come1
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Idioms and Phrases
- come and go, to occur briefly or suddenly but never for long; appear and disappear.
- come down on the side of, to support or favor:
I want to come down on the side of truth and justice.
- come home, Nautical.
- (of an anchor) to begin to drag.
- (of an object) to move when hauled upon.
- come off it, Informal. to stop being wrong, foolish, or pretentious; be truthful or honest:
Come off it—we know you're as poor as the rest of us.
- come off, Informal.
- come to pass, to happen; occur:
And it came to pass that there was a drought in the kingdom.
- come what may, no matter what may happen; regardless of any opposition, argument, or consequences:
Come what may, he will not change his mind.
- where one is coming from, Slang. where the source of one's beliefs, attitudes, or feelings lies:
It's hard to understand where your friend is coming from when he says such crazy things.
More idioms and phrases containing come
- bigger they come
- cross a bridge when one comes to it
- dream come true
- easy come, easy go
- first come, first served
- full circle, come
- get one's comeuppance
- (come) to the point
- how come
- if the mountain won't come to Muhammad
- if worst comes to worst
- Johnny-come-lately
- know enough to come in out of the rain
- make a comeback
- of age, come
- on the scene, come
- out of nowhere, come
- push comes to shove
- ship comes in, when one's
- till the cows come home
- what goes around comes around
- when it comes down to
- coming
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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