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

In fact, an infusion of vividness into your ‘fits could come by way of a phone crossbody bag like this top choice from Rothy’s. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2025

The Panthers have arguably the best forecheck in the league, are elite defensively, beat teams up physically and find ways to manufacture offense from the slot even when time and space are hard to come by. —Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

This is when interviews are easy to come by as hiring managers simply want to speak to more people in the hopes of finding someone that might be able to do the work or could be trained on the skills required. —Sergei Revzin and Vadim Revzin, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Highsmith still has yet to miss a game due to injury or illness, his only absences coming by coach’s decision. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for come by

• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi
• certify

Kids Definition

come by

verb

1

: to make a visit

come by after dinner

2

: acquire

good help is hard to come by