come up

verb

came up; come up; coming up; comes up

intransitive verb

1

: rise sense 6

2

: to come near : make an approach

came up and introduced himself

3

: to rise in rank or status

an officer who came up from the ranks

4

a

: to come to attention or consideration

the question never came up

b

: to occur in the course of time

any problem that may come up

5

: to turn out to be

the coin came up tails

6

chiefly dialectal : grow up

Phrases

come up empty

: to fail to achieve a desired result

come up with

: to produce especially in dealing with a problem or challenge

came up with a solution

Synonyms

• approach
• belly up
• close
• close in
• draw on
• near
• nigh

Examples of come up in a Sentence

the girl came up to the counter and asked if she could have her order prepared to go

let me know if anything else comes up during the project

Recent Examples on the Web

The reactions to Swift's fan project response were immediate and filled with praise — both for Swift herself and those who came up with and successfully executed the idea. —Michelle McGahan, Newsweek, 10 July 2024

One solution some have come up with is to leave their garage door slightly cracked open. —Raphael Romero Ruiz, The Arizona Republic, 10 July 2024

For the new stuff coming up, however, the music industry has become so corporate that there’s no risk-taking or development, Slash says. —Josh Chesler, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2024

What Readers Loved Each island has plenty to recommend it, but natural beauty and the dynamism of Hawaiian culture came up as selling points for all five on this year’s list. —Lila Harron Battis, Travel + Leisure, 9 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

come up

verb

1

: rise entry 1 sense 4

the sun comes up in an hour

2

: to come near or approach

came up and introduced himself

3

: to come to attention : introduce sense 4

the question came up again