to come by

Examples

• All

• He was supposed to come by and fix my sink.

  Small Apartments (2012)

• I thought I'd come by and let you know what's happening.

  Scared to Death (1980)

• Someone will come by in the morning.

  Harmony (2022)

• Can I come by and see you?

  Absolution (2024)

• Perhaps you will come by our camp tonight and we can continue this talk.

  Fiction book (1990)

• Hey, uh, can I come by your sister's house?

  Last Chance Charlene (2022)

• Louis and Barbara came by to visit me now and then.

  Fiction book (1993)

• Okay, Leos going to come by for a minute, all right?

• "Why don't you come by my office tomorrow morning and we'll see what we can do?"

  Academic text (2005)

• I decided to come by and check on you after hearing about your illness.

Synonyms

S

to see

vsto come by

• Informal

∞ 1.0

To have a romantic relationship with someone

focuses on informal, often unplanned visits rather than romantic meetings

S

to stop by

vsto come by

• Informal

494 2.5

To make a short visit to a person or place

focuses specifically on informal visits to people rather than places

D

to drop by

vsto come by

• Informal

206 2.5

To visit someone or a place for a short time without planning

can refer to informal visits that may last longer or recur

D

to drop in

vsto come by

• Informal

72 3.6

Visit someone without arranging it first

often happens repeatedly without prior arrangement or planning

S

to swing by

vsto come by

72 3.7

Visit a place for a short time while on the way somewhere

usually refers to going to a person's place specifically, not passing en route

C

to come on over

vsto come by

• Informal

70 2.6

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

often implies visiting without invitation or planning, informally and casually

P

to pay a visit

vsto come by

50 2.3

To go to someone's home or another place for a short time

is used informally and often without prior arrangement or planning

C

to call in

vsto come by

• UK

1 2.8

Pay a short, often unplanned visit to someone

may mean informal visiting but not limited to short, quick stops

D

to drop in for coffee

vsto come by

• Informal

2.3

To visit someone informally to have coffee and chat

is more general and applies to any informal visit without a fixed purpose

How Long

to stay over

• Informal

70 3.0

visit

∞ 1.0

to come by

• Informal

506 3.9

to drop by

• Informal

206 2.5

to pop in

• Informal

25 3.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology