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

The man who wants to make a Grand Slam is going to find a trophy bighorn tougher and tougher to come by. —Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2024

Many artists and songwriters have objected to the use of their songs as part of Donald Trump‘s presidential campaigning, but actual legal judgments have been harder to come by. —Chris Willman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2024

Advertisement An official tally of the number of aerial firefighters working in the U.S. is hard to come by, but industry veterans guess there are a few hundred working directly for government agencies and perhaps twice as many working for private contractors. —Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024

Across Michigan’s wild and sparsely populated Upper Peninsula, gas stations and grocery stores are difficult to come by. —Story Hinckley, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 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