come up

verb

came up; come up; coming up; comes up

intransitive verb

1

: rise sense 6

2

: to come near : make an approach

came up and introduced himself

3

: to rise in rank or status

an officer who came up from the ranks

4

a

: to come to attention or consideration

the question never came up

b

: to occur in the course of time

any problem that may come up

5

: to turn out to be

the coin came up tails

6

chiefly dialectal : grow up

Phrases

come up empty

: to fail to achieve a desired result

come up with

: to produce especially in dealing with a problem or challenge

came up with a solution

Synonyms

• approach
• belly up
• close
• close in
• draw on
• near
• nigh

Examples of come up in a Sentence

the girl came up to the counter and asked if she could have her order prepared to go

let me know if anything else comes up during the project

Recent Examples on the Web

And bear in mind as well that USMCA reauthorization is coming up in the coming-up months and years. —CBS News, 2 Feb. 2025

As Democrats on Capitol Hill and in blue states come up with counteroffensives, others on the political left at the grassroots level said advocacy groups will have to be more disciplined with raising awareness and picking strategic battles. —Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025

Instead, the non-profit research institution has come up with an advanced silicone polymer membrane that has high oxygen permeability, yet is hydrophobic to keep water from seeping through. —David Szondy, New Atlas, 1 Feb. 2025

Yet the little guy has come up big for the bulls this year, retail investors showing a significantly higher risk appetite in recent weeks than professional fund managers. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 1 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

come up

verb

1

: rise entry 1 sense 4

the sun comes up in an hour

2

: to come near or approach

came up and introduced himself

3

: to come to attention : introduce sense 4

the question came up again