come close
idiom
1
: to almost do something
We didn't win, but we came close.
—often + toThe band came very close to breaking up.
We came close to winning the championship this season.
2
: to be similar to something or as good as expected
She said they taste just like real hot dogs, but they don't even come close (to the real thing).
Examples of come close in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As a result, projecting which clubs will come close to peak form isn’t easy.
—
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 June 2025
As a result, the book doesn’t come close to explaining her country’s confounding transformation during the two years it was sealed off from the outside world, suspended in an increasingly claustrophobic COVID bubble.
—Rachel Morris, New Yorker, 5 June 2025
But, despite the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the rights enshrined in the Constitution, this country didn’t come close to being fully free and democratic until the 1960s, when Black people finally gained the right to vote throughout the land.
—Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
The Legislature ultimately passed 13 anti-theft bills that Newsom and Democrats hoped would satisfy voters, but didn’t come close.
—George Skelton, Mercury News, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for come close
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Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 June 2025
As a result, the book doesn’t come close to explaining her country’s confounding transformation during the two years it was sealed off from the outside world, suspended in an increasingly claustrophobic COVID bubble.
—Rachel Morris, New Yorker, 5 June 2025
But, despite the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the rights enshrined in the Constitution, this country didn’t come close to being fully free and democratic until the 1960s, when Black people finally gained the right to vote throughout the land.
—Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
The Legislature ultimately passed 13 anti-theft bills that Newsom and Democrats hoped would satisfy voters, but didn’t come close.
—George Skelton, Mercury News, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for come close
Cite this Entry
“Come close.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20close. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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