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to come up

to come up

896 2.6
To be mentioned in a discussion
  • phrasal verb
  • /kʌm ʌp/
translation icon : surgir
  • Do you expect this subject to come up again?
  • issues come up
  • questions come up
  • come up in conversation

It's those digs that come up early and often.

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Examples

  • The instructor hoped that one of the issues that would come up would be that of with-it-ness.

    Academic text (1996)
  • It's going to come up a lot, OK.

  • So obviously this is going to come up, right?

  • Things will come up from our past.

  • At another meeting recently, the question came up: How do people come to care?

    Academic text (1991)
  • At one point, the subject of inequality in America came up, and the vice president asked for my opinion.

    Academic text (2011)
  • While two students probe these matters, other topics come up in a predictable fashion.

    Academic text (1993)
  • During our meeting, several important issues will come up that we need to address.

  • If any questions come up during the presentation, please feel free to ask.

  • I'm sure new opportunities will come up as we continue to network in this field.

Synonyms

to happen
vsto come up
1.0

To take place, often by chance and without planning

often refers to a topic being mentioned rather than only an unplanned event
to bring up
vsto come up
788 2.6

To mention a subject for discussion

often happens without being deliberately introduced by a person
to emerge
vsto come up
604 4.0

To become known or start to exist, for example as an idea

is used when a topic or issue is mentioned rather than gradually revealed
to occur
vsto come up
339 2.4

Come into someone's mind suddenly or unexpectedly

is about external topics being mentioned rather than private sudden thoughts
to arise
vsto come up
333 3.3

Start to exist or happen

focuses on being mentioned in discussion rather than only beginning to exist
to come about
vsto come up
105 4.0

To happen, often by chance or without planning

is used for being mentioned in discussion rather than only chance happenings
to crop up
vsto come up
20 4.3

To appear suddenly, often as a problem or question

is used more generally and not only for sudden or unexpected appearances
to bob up
vsto come up
1 4.9

Appear suddenly and without warning

is used for topics or issues being mentioned not just sudden visual appearances

Antonyms

69 3.0

To become weaker and then disappear over time

How Prominent

to arise
333 3.3
to come up
896 2.6
to mention
1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

come + up

The meaning 'to produce or bring forth an idea' is metaphorically linked to 'come' (to appear) + 'up' (emergence), so learners who know the words may partially infer that something 'comes up' or arises. However, the specific transitive idiom 'come up with' meaning 'to invent/produce' is not fully predictable from those constituents and relies on conventionalized usage, making it only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Come up can mean 'to be mentioned' in a talk or meeting. Picture a topic rising into view in a conversation like a bubble coming up to the surface; that is why we say a subject 'comes up' when people mention it.