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to come

to come

∞ 1.0
Reach a particular state or condition
  • verb
  • /kʌm/
: llegar a
  • "More and more people are coming into the area of AMS dating," Imamura says hopefully.
  • come to understand
  • come to realize
  • come to know

It's temporary, it will come and it will go.

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Examples

  • You come to love it, you come to embrace it.

  • Transparency, in more recent times, has come to mean the open sharing of information.

    Academic text (2015)
  • And then I need to come into this cross.

  • But it still is coming into life through you.

  • I appreciate your coming all this way to see me.

  • It's temporary, it will come and it will go.

  • And now you have come to the midpoint.

  • If we feel unprepared coming into a performance, it adds to the anxiety level.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The author describes the early-intervention therapists who came to her home within weeks of Henry's birth.

    Academic text (2015)
  • After years of hard work, you will finally come to understand the true meaning of success.

Synonyms

to come to
vsto come
∞ 3.1

Reach a decision or understanding

is the same in meaning but appears as the single verb form

Idioms

come on
  • Informal
∞ 5.4

Say it to show disbelief, irritation, or to urge someone

71 5.3

Say this when you suddenly remember or think of something

A thing you wanted for a long time that finally happens

kingdom come
  • Informal
36 8.6

A state after death or when something is completely destroyed

To tell people you are gay, lesbian, or bisexual

23 5.5

Become successful or active again after a long time away

22 7.2

To appear suddenly after being hidden or not active

21 5.2

To return to the original place or situation after many changes

17 4.3

To be a normal and unavoidable part of a job or situation

to kingdom come
  • Informal
13 9.4

Says that it is sent far away or completely destroyed

Bad actions or words cause trouble for the person who did them later

8 8.3

No matter what happens or how difficult it is

Bad things you did before cause problems now

come what may
  • Literature
8 6.3

No matter what happens

5 5.9

Reach a point where the result is not decided until the last moment

To fall apart or stop working properly after being stable

Even more serious problems will happen in the future

to come up roses
  • Informal
3 6.0

Turn out very well for someone

3 8.5

For a very long time that seems to never end

Things that rise will later fall, for example prices or fortunes

2 7.3

A very welcome surprise like getting gifts before Christmas

Make up something without thinking or good reason

2 7.0

A secret or problem becomes known later

To return to a safe or accepted group after being left out

Saying this shows you have just remembered something related

To fail badly or have a sudden problem

1 7.7

To make a final move to win at an important moment

1 8.6

For a very long time, possibly forever

1 4.4

Start thinking and acting in a sensible way again after being foolish or upset

To help someone who is in trouble or danger

To begin to use your skills and get recognition

come to papa
  • Informal
1 9.9

An excited shout when someone really wants something before they get it

To tell other people that you practice witchcraft or Pagan beliefs after keeping it secret

To rain very heavily

A warning that bad behavior on a work trip can lead to punishment at work when you return

To become more confident and willing to talk to other people

Act in a proud, fake way to impress others

To have very bad luck at an important time

To help when needed, especially in a difficult situation

Deal with problems one at a time as they happen

To hope to get rich without doing anything

Phrasal Verbs

∞ 1.3

To return to how it was before

∞ 1.0

Have origins in a place, family or social group

∞ 1.0

To enter a room or building

∞ 2.3

To appear or become visible, for example when the sun shines through clouds

∞ 3.1

Reach a decision or understanding

∞ 1.3

A thing included with a product as a usual extra, for example a charger with a phone

∞ 2.4

To arrive and be received, for example news or donations

∞ 3.2

To think of an idea or plan

∞ 2.7

To think of an idea or plan

∞ 2.6

To be mentioned in a discussion

∞ 2.8

To become lower, for example temperature or prices

∞ 1.7

To move closer to a person or place

772 3.0

To become available to the public, for example when a book or album is released

to come by
  • Informal
762 3.9

Visit someone at home without calling first

645 2.9

To become known to people after being hidden

590 1.4

Move closer or begin to arrive, often gradually

584 3.0

To appear or arrive when you do not expect it

532 3.1

Suddenly have an idea or memory

488 2.2

To move from below to a higher place, like a diver rising to the surface

420 2.1

To return to a place or situation after a short time away

Join with others to work for the same goal

401 3.8

To move through something from one side to the other

398 2.4

To finish in a particular way in a competition or event

394 1.0

To happen in real life, especially a wish or dream

389 2.1

Begin to appear or become visible

359 4.0

To depend on the main point

338 3.2

To offer help or information, often to the police

337 3.8

To depend on one main thing

296 3.4

To get through a hard time and be okay

289 2.6

To find something or someone by chance

289 1.3

To return to a previous subject or point

269 3.9

A result that happens because of something, for example more work after a promotion

235 3.5

To become loose and fall off

197 6.5

To tell people you are gay, lesbian, or transgender

193 3.0

To happen after something else, often as a result

185 2.2

To go up to someone to speak to them

164 3.0

To suddenly think of something or remember it

158 2.8

To nearly do or experience something but fail to do it

144 2.5

Start to work, like lights or heating

130 4.1

To change your mind and accept something you first refused

125 3.9

To seem to other people in a particular way

117 3.3

To be heard or read clearly

to come clean
  • Informal
116 4.1

To say the truth about something you kept secret

113 4.0

To happen, often by chance or without planning

To be useful in a certain situation

102 3.6

To happen earlier than another thing in time or position

98 3.3

To finish in a particular position in a race or contest, for example second

To happen again at a usual time, for example every year

91 1.8

To move closer in space or time

89 3.2

Get something, often by luck or after effort

To accept a difficult situation or agree with someone after talking

to come back
  • Informal
87 4.1

To reply quickly and strongly to a remark

80 2.3

To be the most important thing and have the highest priority

to come on over
  • Informal
80 2.6

To go to someone's home when they invite you to visit

To seem to other people in a particular way

To accept a difficult or unpleasant situation

To become available very recently, for example a book or film

73 3.7

To leave a situation with a new feeling or opinion

63 3.7

Become lively and full of activity or interest

Seem to other people in a certain way

61 4.3

To become ill with a disease like a cold

61 2.9

To be almost as good as something in quality or amount

59 2.2

To find something or someone by chance

to come down
  • Informal
54 5.9

To criticize someone strongly

53 2.9

To get better or improve over time

To become known after being hidden

51 4.1

Happen as planned and go well

50 3.1

To break into pieces or fall into separate parts

46 2.0

To become loose and fall out, for example hair or teeth

44 3.9

To receive money or property unexpectedly, often after someone dies

Move toward each other and meet, often touching or closing around something

39 2.9

Add up to a certain total

To take control of a country or government

Compounds

∞ 7.9

A small hand movement that asks someone to move closer

27 3.6

The time that comes after now

come-on
  • NSFW
14 7.4

Something meant to attract someone, like a compliment or an ad

3 9.1

A person who recently joined a group and is seen as a newcomer

2 8.9

A time when someone faces a hard truth and decides to change what they do

1 9.9

A serious meeting where people speak honestly to fix problems

People get things in the order they arrive, with no reservations

come-all-ye
  • Archaic
9.8

An event open to everyone where people are welcome to come

9.9

A look or signal asking someone to join you in bed

A regular routine before bed that helps you relax

Surface Forms

come infinitive
coming present participle
comes third person singular
came past
come past participle

Etymology

Come appears in the phrase come to with the meaning 'reach', so to say someone 'came to understand' is like saying they 'arrived at' that state or understanding.