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Glite Dictionary
to come into one's own

to come into one's own

8 6.3
To begin to use your skills and get recognition
  • idiom
translation icon : encontrar su lugar
  • After several years of hard work, she finally felt like she had come into her own as a successful artist.
  • really came into her own

Examples

  • It's become clear to me now, at San Jose, that he's coming into his own.

    Blog text (9)

  • The car culture really came into its own following the war, when rationing ended and civilian automobile manufacturing resumed.

    Academic text (1990)

  • And the boys, well, they came into their own.

    Me, Myself & Irene (2000)

  • And it was fun to see her teach someone and see that person kind of come into their own, so to speak.

    Secret Life of a Dominatrix (2024)

  • And those were pretty incredible years getting to see the kids mostly grow up and come into their own.

    Getting LOST (2024)

  • Your daughter, thankfully, is not done coming into her own yet.

    Blog text (17)

  • Anyway, Abby really came into her own in college.

    Life Itself (2018)

  • Claire has also come into her own in the Senate and carved out her role.

    Blog text (16)

  • Illustration in Brazilian children's books came into its own in the 1980s.

    Academic text (1995)

  • But when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically.

    American Psycho (2000)

Synonyms

to prove oneself
vsto come into one's own
76 4.8

To show you are capable, skilled or brave by meeting a challenge

describes lasting confidence and full personal potential rather than a single test
to make something of oneself
vsto come into one's own
35 4.9

To become successful and have a better life by working hard

emphasizes inner confidence and realizing potential rather than mainly social advancement
to make a name for oneself
vsto come into one's own
30 3.7

To become known for what you do by working hard

focuses on growing confidence and personal potential rather than public fame
to do well for oneself
vsto come into one's own
5 3.7

To become successful and earn enough money

focuses on inner growth and recognition rather than only material improvement

Antonyms

to fail
898 1.0

Not succeed in doing something you wanted to do

unnoticed
57 2.5

Other people do not see or pay attention to it

How Successful

to thrive
241 3.2
to come into one's own
8 6.3
to grow
∞ 2.1
to find one's feet
  • Informal
5.6

Surface Forms

come into one's own infinitive
coming into one's own present participle
comes into one's own third person singular
came into one's own past
come into one's own past participle

Morphology

come + into + one + own

The elements 'come' + 'into' signal a change of state and 'one's own' suggests a rightful place or possession, so learners can infer a movement into a personal/state-related condition. However, the specific sense 'achieve recognition or realize one's potential' is an idiomatic extension not fully predictable from the parts and requires prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The phrase come into one's own comes from the image of someone who comes into one's own property — when a person gets land or a house and suddenly has control and independence. So, the phrase now means 'to become confident, independent, or successful'.