come meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

come

verb

UK /kʌm/ · US /kʌm/

Etymology

From Middle English comen, cumen, from Old English cuman, from Proto-West Germanic *kweman, from Proto-Germanic *kwemaną (“to come”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷémt (“to step; to arrive”), from *gʷem- (“to come, step”). Cognates Cognate from Proto-Germanic with Scots cum (“to come”), Yola come, coome, cum (“to come”), North Frisian kaame, kame, keem, kem, kum, kååme, käme (“to come”), Saterland Frisian kume, kuume (“to come”), West Frisian komme (“to come”), Alemannic German cha, cheemen, cheme, cho, chomu, chéeme (“to come”), Bavarian ckeman, kemma, kemman, khemen, kumma, kumman, kèmmin (“to come”), Central Franconian komme, kunn, kumme (“to come”), Cimbrian ken, khemmen, khèmman (“to come”), Dutch komen, kommen (“to come”), Dutch Low Saxon kåmen (“to come”), German and Luxembourgish kommen (“to come”), Low German kamen, kuemen (“to come”), Mòcheno kemmen (“to come”), Yiddish קימען (kimen), קומען (kumen, “to come”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål komme (“to come”), Elfdalian kumå (“to come”), Faroese and Icelandic koma (“to come; to arrive”), Jamtish kuma (“to come”), Norwegian Nynorsk koma, komma, komme, kåmmå, kåmå (“to come”), Swedish komma (“to come”), Crimean Gothic kommen (“to come”), Gothic 𐌵𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (qiman, “to come”). Cognate from Proto-Indo-European with Latin venio (“to come; to approach”), Greek βήμα (víma, “pace, step”), Albanian ngah, ngaj (“to hasten, run”), Latvian dzimt (“to be born”), Lithuanian gimti (“to be born”), Armenian եկ (ek, “the act of coming, arrival; income”), Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬨 (gam, “to come, go”), Northern Kurdish gav (“step”), Persian گام (gâm, “step”), Tocharian A kum- (“to come”), Tocharian B käm- (“to come”), Sanskrit गम् (gam, “to come, go, move”).

25 senses

1To move nearer to the point of perspective.
2To move toward the speaker.
3To move toward the listener.
4To move toward the object that is the focus of the sentence.
5To move toward the agent or subject of the main clause.
6To move toward an unstated agent.
7To arrive.
8To appear; to manifest itself; to cause a reaction by…
9To begin (to have an opinion or feeling).
10To do something by chance or unintentionally.
11To take a position relative to something else in a sequence.
12To achieve orgasm; to cum; to ejaculate.
13To become butter by being churned.
14To approach or reach a state of being or accomplishment.
15To take a particular approach or point of view in regard…
16To become, to turn out to be (often in set phrases and…
17To be supplied, or made available; to exist.
18To carry through; to succeed in.
19To happen.
20To have a certain social background.
21To be or have been a resident or native.
22To have been brought up by or employed by.
23To begin (at a certain location); to radiate or stem (from).
24To germinate.
25To pretend to be; to behave in the manner of; to assume…

To move nearer to the point of perspective.

She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes the wrong way […]
Look, who comes yonder?c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

1 more example

Yet think not that I come to urge thy crimes, / I did not come to curse thee, Guinevere, […]1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Guinevere”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 253:

To move toward the speaker.

I called the dog, but she wouldn't come.
Stop dawdling and come here!

1 more example

Come one, come all. Step right up!

To move toward the listener.

Hold on, I'll come in a second.
You should ask the doctor to come to your house.

To move toward the object that is the focus of the sentence.

No-one can find Bertie Wooster when his aunts come to visit.
Hundreds of thousands of people come to Disneyland every year.

In subordinate clauses and gerunds To move toward the agent or subject of the main clause.

King Cnut couldn't stop the tide coming.
He threw the boomerang, which came right back to him.

To move toward an unstated agent.

The butler should come when called.

To arrive.

Late at night comes Mr. Hudson, the cooper, my neighbour, and tells me that he come from Chatham this evening at five o'clock, and saw this afternoon "The Royal James," "Oake," and "London," burnt by the enemy with their fire-ships: […]1667 June 22 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Samuel Pepys, Mynors Bright, transcriber, “June 13th, 1667”, in Henry B[enjamin] Wheatley, editor, The Diary of Samuel Pepys […], volume VI, London: George Bell & Sons […]; Cambridge: Deighton Bell & Co., published 1895, →OCLC, page 364:
Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps,[…], and the light of the reflector fell full upon her.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

1 more example

So I'd have ate^([sic]) when me Dad had ate, sort of thing, I think, you know when he come home from work, I'd have waited for him, I wouldn't have said I wanted mine at four o'clock[…]2013 January 11 [1997], David Bell, Gill Valentine, Consuming Geographies: We Are Where We Eat, Routledge, →ISBN, page 140:

To appear; to manifest itself; to cause a reaction by manifesting.

The pain in his leg comes and goes.
The news came as a shock.

1 more example

Kathy and I had a teen-age girl to girl talk, about boys, John, and understanding Mom. I was gonna tell her about Phil but I held my mouth till tears came.1965 January 4, Lou Sullivan, Diary:

With an infinitive To begin (to have an opinion or feeling).

We came to believe that he was not so innocent after all.
She came to think of that country as her home.

1 more example

Now all this was very fine, but not at all in keeping with the Celebrity's character as I had come to conceive it. The idea that adulation ever cloyed on him was ludicrous in itself. In fact I thought the whole story fishy, and came very near to saying so.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter III, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

With an infinitive To do something by chance or unintentionally.

Could you tell me how the document came to be discovered?

To take a position relative to something else in a sequence.

Which letter comes before Y? Winter comes after autumn.

Often, Slang, Vulgar To achieve orgasm; to cum; to ejaculate.

She came after a few minutes.
Come in me!

2 more examples

Nick was more and more seriously absorbed, but then just before he came he had a brief vision of himself, as if the trees and bushes had rolled away and all the lights of London shone in on him: little Nick Guest from Barwick, Don and Dot Guest's boy, fucking a stranger in a Notting Hill garden at night.2004, Alan Hollinghurst, chapter 2, in The Line of Beauty […], London: Picador, →ISBN:
The sheer unimaginableness of coming into her mouth — of coming into anything other than the air or a tissue or a dirty sock — was an allurement too stupendous for a novice to forswear.2008, Philip Roth, Indignation:

Of milk To become butter by being churned.

when butter does refuse to come1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1905, →OCLC:

Figuratively To approach or reach a state of being or accomplishment.

They came very close to leaving on time. His test scores came close to perfect.
One of the screws came loose, and the skateboard fell apart.

Figuratively, With to To take a particular approach or point of view in regard to something.

He came to SF literature a confirmed technophile, and nothing made him happier than to read a manuscript thick with imaginary gizmos and whatzits.

Archaic To become, to turn out to be (often in set phrases and certain collocations).

Near-synonyms: become, get, go, turn, fall, grow, wax
come true

4 more examples

come about
come clean
come alive
come open

To be supplied, or made available; to exist.

He's as tough as they come.
Our milkshakes come in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavours.

1 more example

A new sports car doesn't come cheap.

Slang To carry through; to succeed in.

You can't come any tricks here.

To happen.

This kind of accident comes when you are careless.
But out of sight is out of mind. And that[…]means that many old sewers have been neglected and are in dire need of repair. If that repair does not come in time, the result is noxious and potentially hazardous.2014 June 14, “It's a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891:

› To have as an origin, originate.

With from or sometimes of To have a certain social background.

While Kate Roberts came from a poor background and, later in life, in the post-Second World War period suffered from severe money shortages, in the early 1930s, she and her husband must have counted themselves relatively well off, particularly in comparison with their neighbours in Tonypandy.2011, Kate Gramich, chapter 3, in Kate Roberts, University of Wales Press, →ISBN, page 46:

With from or sometimes of To be or have been a resident or native.

Where did you come from?

With from or sometimes of To have been brought up by or employed by.

She comes from a good family.
He comes from a disreputable legal firm.

With from or sometimes of To begin (at a certain location); to radiate or stem (from).

The river comes from Bear Lake.
Where does this road come from?

Of grain To germinate.

Informal To pretend to be; to behave in the manner of; to assume the role of.

Don’t come the innocent victim. We all know who’s to blame here.
“Hush! hush! Mr. Sikes,” said the Jew, trembling; “don’t speak so loud!” / “None of your mistering,” replied the ruffian; “you always mean mischief when you come that. You know my name: out with it! I shan’t disgrace it when the time comes.”1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], Oliver Twist; […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC:

1 more example

Ponds drew a chair to the table and seated himself and poured Mrs Dibble a gin, saying solemnly, "Now then, Mrs Dibble, what's it all about?" "I'm upholding my rights agen that woman that's been coming the high and mighty over me like I ain't got the right to say a word in me own business."1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 157:

Antonyms: leave, go, depart, exit, withdraw, retreat, flee
Derived terms: 373 terms
a bad penny always comes back, aftercome, after Saturday comes Sunday, again-coming, all good things come to an end, all good things must come to an end, all is fish that comes to the net, all's fish that comes to the net, all things come to those who wait, a long time in coming, ancome, appetite comes with eating, as they come, backward in coming forward, bad comes to worse, bad comes to worst, bad things come in threes, become, big things come in small packages, blow to kingdom come, burn that bridge when one comes to it, can I come in, carry-go-bring-come, Christmas come early, Christmas comes but once a year, Christmas is coming, come about, come a cropper, come across, come across with, come after, come again, come a gutser, come alive, come-all-ye, come-all-you, come aloft, come-along, come along, come a long way, come-and-cuddle-me, come and go, come apart, come around, come-around, come as no surprise, come at, come-at-able, come at a cost, come at me, come away, come away empty, come back, come back from the dead, come back to bite, come back to haunt, come back to one's senses, come before, come between, come by, Come By Chance, come calling, come clean, come correct, come down, come-down, comedown, come down cats and dogs, come down in stair rods, come down in the last shower, come down on, come down the line, come down the pike, come down the road, come down to, come down to earth, come down to us, come down upon, come down with, come down with one's dust, come down with the dust, come 'ead, come ed, come 'ed, come first, come for, come forth, come forward, come from, come from a Cracker Jack box, come from a good place, come from behind, come from below, come from the right place, come full circle, come get some, come good, come hand, come head, come hell or high water, come-here, come here to me, come high, come hither, come-hither, come-hithery, come home, come home by weeping cross, come home to roost, come in, come in for, come in from the cold, come in handy, come in hot, come into, come into being, come into effect, come into force, come into one's own, come into play, come into the world, come in use, come in useful, come it, come it strong, come knocking, comeling, come low, come naturally, come of, come of age, come-off, come off, come off it, come off second best, come-on, come on, come on down, come one's way, come on in, come online, come on over, come on strong, come onto, come on to, come out, come-outer, come-outerism, come out in, come out in the wash, come-outism, come out of one's shell, come out of the broom closet, come out of the closet, come out of the woodwork, come out on top, come out smelling like a rose, come out smelling of roses, come out swinging, come out with, come-over, come over, come-o'-will, come rain or shine, come rain or snow, come right, come round, come running, come short, come the acid, come the old acid, come the old soldier, come the raw prawn, come thick and fast, come through, come to, come to a boil, come to a close, come to a head, come to anchor, come to an end, come to a stand, come to a sticky end, come to a stop, come to bat, come to be, come to bed, come-to-bed, come to blows, come to find out, come to fruition, come together, come to grief, come to grips, come to grips with, come to hand, come to Jesus, come-to-Jesus, come to life, come to light, come to mention it, come to mind, come to naught, come to nothing, come to nought, come to oneself, come to one's hand, come to one's senses, come to order, come to papa, come to pass, come to power, come to rest, come to someone's aid, come to someone's rescue, come to terms, come to terms with, come to that, come to the party, come to the scratch, come to think of it, come to time, come true, come under, come undone, come unhinged, come unstuck, come up, come up against, come up and bite, come up from behind, come upon, come upon the parish, come upon the town, come-uppance, come up roses, come up short, come up smelling like a rose, come up smelling of roses, come up snake eyes, come up to, come up trumps, come up with, come up with snake eyes, come up with the goods, come up with the rations, come what may, come with, come with it, come with the territory, come with the turf, come Yorkshire over, coming and going, coming from you, coming into force, coming-of-age, coming of age, coming out of someone's ears, coming-out party, coming right up, coming through, coming together, cross a bridge before one comes to it, cross that bridge when one comes to it, cut-and-come-again, cut and come again, Daniel come to judgement, death-come-quickly, downcome, do you come here often, dream come true, first come first served, first-come-first-served, forecome, forthcome, get what's coming to one, go back to where you came from, good things come in small packages, good things come in threes, good things come to those who wait, have another thing coming, have another think coming, have another thought coming, hold come what may, how came you so, how come, how's come, I come in peace, if the mountain won't come to Muhammad, income, intercome, Johnny-come-lately, Jonny-come-lately, long in coming, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, marry come up, miscome, misfortunes never come alone, misfortunes never come singly, newcome, non-coming, not know whether one is coming or going, offcome, off-come, oncome, oncoming, one of these odd-come-shortlies, one's ship comes in, on the come, outcome, overcome, pride comes before a fall, pride comes before the fall, proverbs come in pairs, proverbs often come in pairs, proverbs should come in pairs, put two and two together and come up with five, seven come eleven, take something as it comes, thanks for coming, thanks for coming to my TED Talk, the bad penny always comes back, the British are coming, the call is coming from inside the house, the chickens come home to roost, the freaks come out at night, the handbags come out, there's more where that came from, the shape of things to come, the time has come, the wheels came off, the wheels came off the bus, the wheels came off the wagon, think all one's Christmases have come at once, this is where I came in, this is where we came in, till the cow come home, till the cows come home, 'til the cows come home, time to come, to come, tocome, to-come, Tommy come tickle me, tomorrow never comes, un-come-at-able, undercome, until Kingdom come, until the cows come, until the cows come home, up and coming, upcome, upcoming, we come in peace, welcome, what comes around goes around, what goes around comes around, what goes round comes round, what goes up must come down, what go round come round, what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh, when it comes to, when push comes to shove, when the time comes, when two Fridays come together, when two Sundays come together, where I come from, where someone is coming from, why come, world to come, worse comes to worse, worse comes to worst, worst comes to worst
Related terms: c'mere, c'min, c'mon, cam'st, kingdom come

come

noun

Etymology

Obsolete Coming, arrival; approach.

“If we count three before the come of thee, thwacked thou art, and must go to the women.”1869, RD Blackmoore, Lorna Doone, section II:

Slang, Vulgar Semen.

When a man uses a condom during sex, he takes all of his come with him, preventing her from getting pregnant.

Slang, Vulgar Female ejaculatory discharge.

Derived terms: cum

come

prep

Etymology

Used to indicate a point in time at or after which a stated event or situation occurs.

Leave it to settle for about three months and, come Christmas time, you'll have a delicious concoction to offer your guests.
Come retirement, their Social Security may turn out to be a lot less than they counted on.

4 more examples

Come summer, we would all head off to the coast.
"And a long sea voyage that starts at six o'clock come morning."1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 14:
Come the final whistle, Mikel Arteta lay flabbergasted on the turf.2012 November 10, Amy Lawrence, “Fulham's Mark Schwarzer saves late penalty in dramatic draw at Arsenal”, in The Guardian:
She announced in April that come 10 February 2023, her songs would be featured in a romantic comedy titled It's All Coming Back To Me […]2022 October 5, Beatriz Colon, “Celine Dion ushers in holiday season with exciting music news”, in Hello! Magazine:

Derived terms: odd-come-short

come

intj

Etymology

Dated, Formal An exclamation to express annoyance.

Come, come! Stop crying.
Come now! Things could be worse.

1 more example

"Come, that will do," interrupted Joolby with an impatient growl; […]1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London:

Dated, Formal An exclamation to express encouragement, or to precede a request.

Come, come! You can do it.
Come now! It won't bite you.

3 more examples

Her. What wisdome stirs amongst you? Come Sir, now I am for you againe: 'Pray you sit by vs, And tell's a Tale.c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
Come then, pure hands, and bear the head ⁠That sleeps or wears the mask of sleep, ⁠And come, whatever loves to weep, And hear the ritual of the dead.1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XVIII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 30:
“I'm through with all pawn-games,” I laughed. “Come, let us have a game of lansquenet. Either I will take a farewell fall out of you or you will have your sevenfold revenge”.1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter I, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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