come about

verb

came about; come about; coming about; comes about

intransitive verb

1

: happen

2

: to change direction

the wind has come about into the north

3

: to shift to a new tack

Synonyms

• be
• befall
• betide
• chance
• come
• come down
• come off
• cook
• do
• go down [slang]
• go on
• hap
• happen
• occur
• pass
• transpire

Examples of come about in a Sentence

how did all this come about?

Recent Examples on the Web

The announcement comes about a week after genetic analysis of H5N1 bird flu viruses from the nation’s first severely ill patient revealed multiple mutations that could increase the virus’s ability to bind to human upper airway cells. —Bruce Gil, Quartz, 3 Jan. 2025

The attack on Bourbon Street came about 3:15 a.m. CST as throngs were celebrating the New Year. —Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025

The technique came about in 2019 when McPherson was playing around with Eisbock, in which the frozen concentration is skimmed off, leaving the beer more potent, McPherson had a kind of lightbulb moment. —Yolanda Evans, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024

Which kinds of players would thrive if these changes came about and which would struggle? —Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

come about

verb

1

: happen sense 2

2

: to change direction

the wind has come about into the north