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Definition of 'come by'

Word Frequency

come by

phrasal verb
To come by something means to obtain it or find it.
How did you come by that cheque? [VERB PARTICLE noun]
In rural France, English language magazines are rather hard to come by. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
come
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

come by in British

verb
(intr, preposition)
to find or obtain (a thing), esp accidentally
do you ever come by any old books?
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

come by in American

1. 
to get; acquire; gain
2.  US
to pay a visit
come
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Example sentences containing 'come by'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
With his lack of imagination, reasons would be hard to come by. Kerr, Katharine A TIME OF WARAccommodation for men without money is harder to come by in this great city of ours. Thomas, Rosie THE WHITE DOVE
The Sandinistas aren't apt to come by for a visit unannounced. Collins, Larry BLACK EAGLES (1993)

Trends of 'come by'

In Common Usage. come by is one of the 10000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

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Nearby words of 'come by'

  • come back to earth
  • come back to someone
  • come between
  • come by
  • come clean
  • come come
  • come down

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'C'

Source

Definition of come by from the Collins English Dictionary

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