to come upon

Examples

• All

• While hiking in the woods, I came upon a beautiful waterfall hidden behind some rocks.

• Sometimes, walking in the country, one comes upon an abandoned flower garden overtaken by wildflowers.

  Fiction book (1990)

• And then we came upon this huge house.

  Danny Jones

• Still, he was in a bad way when I came upon him.

  The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

• And they came upon a castle.

  Ignatius of Loyola (2016)

• At the end of the sixth day, we came upon a Roman road running north and south.

  Fiction book (1991)

• One evening, as we were leaving the park, we came upon a traffic jam, which could only mean lions.

  Academic text (1999)

• When I was 32 in Spain, I came upon a statue of Alexander.

  Cleopatra (1963)

• Eventually, you will come upon a village wracked by an inexplicable plague.

  Beau Is Afraid (2023)

• And one day, one of them was painting out in the forest-- as artists do-- and he came upon this little dog, who was crying and whining and obviously lost.

  Great Expectations (1998)

Synonyms

F

to find

vsto come upon

∞ 1.0

To discover something while looking or by accident

is the accidental discovery sense rather than the broader search or investigation sense

D

to discover

vsto come upon

∞ 1.0

To find out about something for the first time, often by chance

is the simpler unexpected finding idea without stressing first-time discovery

E

to encounter

vsto come upon

442 3.2

To meet someone or find a problem unexpectedly

is the specific phrasal expression for finding unexpectedly, not the broad meeting verb

C

to come across

vsto come upon

244 2.6

To find something or someone by chance

is the same in meaning but uses a different expression form

S

to stumble

vsto come upon

171 2.8

To find something by chance

is the general phrase for unexpected discovery rather than implying accidental contact

T

to turn up

vsto come upon

155 3.0

To find something while searching or by chance

is the active finding verb rather than the passive revealed result

R

to run across

vsto come upon

43 2.7

Find something by chance while doing something else

is the broader phrasal choice for unexpected discovery rather than a focus on action

S

to strike

vsto come upon

• Informal

37 2.8

To find something by chance

is similar but appears as a common alternative phrasing

C

to chance on

vsto come upon

18 6.1

To find something or someone by accident while doing something else

is the same idea but differs only in phrasing and word order

H

to happen upon

vsto come upon

15 4.9

Find a person or thing by chance

is the same in meaning but uses a different wording

H

to hit upon

vsto come upon

7 4.9

To find or think of something by chance

is the accidental finding without implying prior searching or mental effort

F

to fall upon

vsto come upon

5 3.6

To find something by chance

is the usual alternative phrasing rather than a distinct meaning

C

to chance upon

vsto come upon

3 5.1

Find someone or something by accident

is the same in meaning but uses another common verbal form

L

to light upon

vsto come upon

2 5.6

To find something by chance

is the same meaning but is a different traditional expression

H

to happen along

vsto come upon

1 5.8

To find a person or thing by chance while you are going somewhere

is about finding objects or people unexpectedly rather than arriving at a location

C

to come to hand

vsto come upon

1 6.3

To become available to someone, often information or documents

is the active act of finding unexpectedly rather than passive becoming known

Antonyms

L

to lose

∞ 1.1

Fail to understand or follow what someone says

M

to miss

518 1.7

To not notice or hear something important

How Unexpected

to stumble

171 2.8

to come upon

50 2.2

to find

∞ 1.0

to notice

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology