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

While none of that replaces a good therapist, good therapists are hard to come by. —Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025

There’s a lot here to make everyone happy, from the fans to Verlander and his new teammates, even the young pitchers whose innings will be even harder to come by next season. —Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025

Six of his seven losses in the promotion came by stoppage. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025

She's helped many navigate the dating world, finding the paths to real, meaningful connections that may feel hard to come by these days. —Abc News, ABC News, 7 Jan. 2025

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