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

Pagans still come by the thousands to Stonehenge, the prehistoric ruins of a monument built from around 3100 to 1600 BC. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024

The three losses have come by way of the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and, most recently, the Denver Broncos. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024

As a result of the trend, timepieces like these are becoming harder to come by, and these new RMs will be no exception. —Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 19 Dec. 2024

And at some point, somebody comes by and takes our picture. —Angela Andaloro, People.com, 14 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