come by

verb

came by; come by; coming by; comes by

transitive verb

: to get possession of : acquire

a good job is hard to come by

intransitive verb

: to make a visit

came by after dinner

Synonyms

• call
• come over
• drop by
• drop in
• pop (in)
• run (over)
• run in
• step in
• stop (by or in)
• visit

Examples of come by in a Sentence

come by after work and I'll give you some clothes for the rummage sale

a literary award like that isn't easy to come by

Recent Examples on the Web

Hotels in the Milwaukee area are hard to come by during RNC week, but out-of-towners can still find plenty of places to crash. —Genevieve Redsten, Journal Sentinel, 10 July 2024

The seaside escape sits just feet from the sandy shoreline, and an ocean-view room is easy to come by, so swing open the doors to your private balcony and let in the sounds of the crashing waves. —Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 9 July 2024

Information on Hernandez is even harder to come by. —Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 8 July 2024

Ronstadt’s friend Jane Fonda came by and gave Thompson a copy of her then-ubiquitous workout guide. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 5 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

come by

verb

1

: to make a visit

come by after dinner

2

: acquire

good help is hard to come by