come in
verbUK /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/ · US /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/
Etymology From Middle English com in, imperative form of Middle English incomen (“to come in; enter”), from Old English incuman (“to come in; enter”), from Proto-Germanic *inkwemaną (“to come in; enter”), equivalent to come + in. Compare Dutch kom in (“come in”), singular imperative form of inkomen (“to come in; enter”), German einkommen (“to come in; enter”). See also income, incoming.
18 senses
- 1To enter.
- 2To arrive.
- 3To become relevant, applicable, or useful.
- 4To become available.
- 5To have a strong enough signal to be able to be received well.
- 6To join or enter; to begin playing with a group.
- 7To enter a plan or group; to join in.
- 8To surrender; to turn oneself in.
- 9To yield or surrender.
- 10To begin transmitting.
- 11To function in the indicated manner.
- 12To finish a race or similar competition in a particular…
- 13To finish a race or similar competition in first place.
- 14To rise.
- 15To become fashionable.
- 16To fully develop.
- 17To report to a workplace for a shift.
- 18To be correctly placed in preparation for printing.
To enter.
- Please come in and look around.
- Come in, it's cold outside.
To arrive.
- That flight just came in.
To become relevant, applicable, or useful.
- The third stage of the plan is where Team B comes in.
- 1889, Thomas Huxley, in Popular Science Monthly; part of the "Agnosticism controversy", Agnosticism: A Rejoinder As I have shown, "infidel" merely means somebody who does not believe what you believe yourself, and therefore Dr. Wace has a perfect right to call, say, my old Egyptian donkey-driver, Nooleh, and myself, infidels, just as Nooleh and I have a right to call him an infidel. The ludicrous aspect of the thing comes in only when either of us demands that the two others should so label themselves.
To become available.
- Blueberries will be coming in next month.
Of a broadcast To have a strong enough signal to be able to be received well.
Such as radio or television
- Most of the neighbors get 14 channels, but only two of them come in well here.
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music To join or enter; to begin playing with a group.
- They started together, but the drummer came in late.
Informal To enter a plan or group; to join in.
- Near-synonym: come across
To surrender; to turn oneself in.
Of a fugitive or a person in hiding
- Near-synonym: come across
- to come in from the cold
1 more example
- Every police officer and agent in New York City is gunning for you. If you come in now, I can guarantee your safety.2006, G. D. McCrary, Guerrillas in the Midst, page 352:
To yield or surrender.
Imperative, Often To begin transmitting.
- This is Charlie 456 to base. Come in, base. Do you read me?
To function in the indicated manner.
- Four-wheel drive sure came in handy while the bridge was washed out.
To finish a race or similar competition in a particular position, such as first place, second place, or the like.
- The horse I had bet on came in fourth in the second race.
To finish a race or similar competition in first place.
- My horse came in in the first race.
Of the tide To rise.
- The tide will come in in an hour.
To become fashionable.
- Orange blouses are coming in!
- During the summer of 1984 there had been a backlash against labels in Portsmouth and a more simple style came in.2003, Phil Thornton, Casuals: The Story of a Terrace Cult:
To fully develop.
- “Everyone says that you should wait, because your body doesn’t fully come in until you’re like 30, and I’m 20 years old, and why am I going to wait until I’m 30 to be snatched?” Catera Northup, an exotic dancer from Rhode Island, said.2022 May 11, Sandra E. Garcia, “Butt Lifts Are Booming. Healing Is No Joke.”, in The New York Times Magazine:
To report to a workplace for a shift.
Media, Printing, Publishing Obsolete, Of a copy To be correctly placed in preparation for printing.
- Derived terms
- come in from the cold
- Related terms
- go in