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

Republicans are pointing to a series of high-profile murders to argue that President Joe Biden is overseeing a wave of migrant crime as data on whether there is a true uptick nationally are hard to come by. —Anna Giaritelli, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 June 2024

Good-looking task chairs for your home office are hard to come by. —Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2024

If coming by private boat, call the Houghton Visitor Center ahead of time to get a docking permit. —Stephanie Pearson, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2024

But access to an expert witness is exceedingly hard to come by. —Zoe Adams and Asher Levinthal, STAT, 21 June 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