“Come” is one of the most common verbs in English, and it is used to form many useful phrasal verbs. Expressions such as come back, come across, come in, and come up with are frequently used in everyday conversations, writing, and informal communication.
However, adding a particle such as back, across, in, out, up, or over can completely change the meaning of come. For example, come back means to return, while come across can mean to find or meet someone or something by chance. Learning these different meanings can help you understand English more easily and communicate more naturally.
In this guide, you will learn 50+ phrasal verbs with come, along with their meanings and clear example sentences. You will also see how these expressions are used in context so that you can understand, remember, and use them confidently in everyday English.
Table of Contents
Common Phrasal Verbs with Come
Some phrasal verbs with come are much more common than others in everyday English. If you are a beginner, start with these frequently used expressions before moving on to the complete list.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| come across | find or meet by chance | I came across an interesting article while searching online. |
| come along | accompany someone; make progress | Would you like to come along with us? |
| come back | return | She came back from her trip yesterday. |
| come down | move to a lower position; decrease | The price of the laptop has come down. |
| come in | enter | Please come in and take a seat. |
| come out | become available or known; appear | Her new book comes out next month. |
| come over | visit someone | Why don’t you come over this evening? |
| come through | successfully survive or complete a difficult situation | She came through the operation successfully. |
| come up | arise, occur, or be mentioned | Something important came up at work. |
| come up with | think of or produce an idea, answer, or plan | We need to come up with a better solution. |
These phrasal verbs can have more than one meaning depending on the context. For example, come out can refer to something becoming available, information becoming known, or something physically emerging. We will look at additional meanings and expressions below.
👉 If you are new to this topic, see our Phrasal Verbs for Beginners guide for an introduction to how phrasal verbs work.
More Phrasal Verbs with Come: Meanings and Examples
Now that you know some of the most common expressions, here are more phrasal verbs with come. Remember that some phrasal verbs have several meanings, so their exact meaning often depends on the context.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| come about | happen or occur | How did this misunderstanding come about? |
| come after | follow or pursue | The police came after the suspect. |
| come apart | separate into pieces | The old book started to come apart. |
| come around | change your opinion | He eventually came around and agreed with us. |
| come around to | gradually accept an idea | She came around to our way of thinking. |
| come away | leave a place with a particular feeling or impression | I came away from the meeting feeling optimistic. |
| come away with | leave with something, such as a prize or impression | She came away with first prize. |
| come back to | return to a subject or issue | Let’s come back to that question later. |
| come before | be considered or dealt with formally | The case will come before the court next week. |
| come between | damage or interfere with a relationship | Don’t let this disagreement come between you. |
| come by | obtain or acquire something | Good jobs can be difficult to come by. |
| come down on | criticize or punish someone severely | The manager came down on him for being late. |
| come down to | be mainly determined by something | The decision comes down to cost. |
| come down with | become ill with something | I think I’m coming down with a cold. |
| come forward | offer information or help | Several witnesses came forward after the accident. |
| come from | originate from a place or source | This tradition comes from an ancient custom. |
| come into | receive something, especially money or property | She came into a large inheritance. |
| come off | happen successfully | The event came off better than expected. |
| come off as | give a particular impression | He came off as confident during the interview. |
| come on | begin, improve, or make progress | Your English is really coming on. |
| come out in | develop spots or a rash on the skin | He came out in a rash after eating the food. |
| come out with | suddenly say something | She came out with a surprising comment. |
| come over as | give a particular impression | She comes over as friendly and confident. |
| come round | regain consciousness | He came round a few minutes after fainting. |
| come round to | gradually change your opinion and accept something | He finally came round to my point of view. |
| come through with | provide something that was promised or needed | They came through with the money just in time. |
| come to | regain consciousness | She came to after a few minutes. |
| come under | experience or become subject to something | The company came under criticism for the decision. |
| come upon | find or meet unexpectedly | We came upon a small village during our journey. |
| come up against | encounter a problem or difficulty | We came up against several unexpected problems. |
| come up to | reach an expected standard | The hotel didn’t come up to our expectations. |
| come up for | become available or ready for consideration | The issue will come up for discussion tomorrow. |
| come up through | progress through different levels of an organization or system | She came up through the company as a junior employee. |
| come away from | leave a situation with a particular impression or understanding | I came away from the discussion with a better understanding of the problem. |
| come back from | return after being somewhere | They came back from their vacation on Monday. |
| come in for | receive criticism, praise, or attention | The proposal came in for heavy criticism. |
| come out of | result or develop from something | Something positive came out of the experience. |
| come through for | provide help when someone needs it | My friends really came through for me when I needed them. |
| come together | meet or unite for a shared purpose | The community came together to help the family. |
| come under fire | receive strong criticism | The company came under fire for its new policy. |
| come face to face with | encounter someone or something directly | We came face to face with an unexpected problem. |
| come to terms with | gradually accept a difficult situation | She eventually came to terms with the change. |
Together with the common expressions listed earlier, these examples give you 50+ useful phrasal verbs and multi-word expressions with come to learn and practice.
Some expressions in this list, such as come to terms with and come face to face with, are more accurately described as multi-word expressions rather than strict phrasal verbs. They are included because they are useful come expressions that English learners frequently encounter.
Phrasal Verbs with Come That Have Multiple Meanings
Many phrasal verbs with come have more than one meaning. The intended meaning usually becomes clear from the context. Here are some common examples.
Come Across
1. To find or meet someone or something by chance
I came across an old photograph while cleaning my room.
2. To give a particular impression
She comes across as friendly and confident.
Come Around
1. To change your opinion
He didn’t like the idea at first, but he eventually came around.
2. To visit someone’s home
Why don’t you come around for coffee tomorrow?
3. To regain consciousness
He fainted but came around a few minutes later.
Come Out
1. To become available or be released
Her new book comes out next month.
2. To become known
The truth eventually came out.
3. To appear or become visible
The sun came out after the rain.
4. To produce a particular result
The photograph came out beautifully.
Come On
1. To begin or start operating
The lights came on automatically.
2. To make progress or improve
Your English has really come on this year.
3. To begin to experience an illness or feeling
I could feel a headache coming on.
Come Off
1. To become separated or detached
The handle came off the door.
2. To happen successfully
The event came off exactly as planned.
3. To stop using a medicine or drug
He came off the medication gradually under his doctor’s guidance.
Come Up
1. To arise or happen unexpectedly
Something important came up, so I had to cancel the meeting.
2. To be mentioned or discussed
Your name came up during our conversation.
3. To approach someone
A stranger came up to me and asked for directions.
Come Through
1. To survive or successfully get through a difficult situation
She came through the operation successfully.
2. To provide something that is needed or promised
The company came through with the funding.
3. To be received successfully
Your message came through clearly.
Understanding these different meanings will help you recognize phrasal verbs with come in a wider range of conversations and texts. Instead of memorizing only one definition, pay attention to the words and situation surrounding each phrasal verb.
Conclusion
Learning phrasal verbs with come is essential for improving your English fluency. These expressions are widely used in everyday communication, making them important for natural speaking.
Practice these phrasal verbs regularly and use them in real-life situations. Over time, they will become a natural part of your vocabulary.