come by

verb

came by; come by; coming by; comes by

transitive verb

: to get possession of : acquire

a good job is hard to come by

intransitive verb

: to make a visit

came by after dinner

Synonyms

• call
• come over
• drop by
• drop in
• pop (in)
• run (over)
• run in
• step in
• stop (by or in)
• visit

Examples of come by in a Sentence

come by after work and I'll give you some clothes for the rummage sale

a literary award like that isn't easy to come by

Recent Examples on the Web

Information is not only hard to come by, but is also meted out with caution. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 Dec. 2024

What’s more, parts may become difficult, if not impossible to come by. —Jim Gorzelany, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024

During that time, reservations are required and can be booked online for free, but appear hard to come by. —Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 9 Dec. 2024

For instance, home insurance policies in some of these markets are harder to come by, and tend to carry high price tags. —Ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 8 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

come by

verb

1

: to make a visit

come by after dinner

2

: acquire

good help is hard to come by