Phrasal verb
Phrasal verbs with come
By EasySay. Published . Updated .
Come changes its meaning with the small word after it.
Come back means to return, come up with means to think of an idea, and come out means to be released. This page explains eight meanings of come, with a pattern and an example for each, and a five-question check.
Written for EasySay, in our own words.
In short
- Patterncome back
- Patterncome up with sth
come: what it is, and what it is not
- IS
- come back: return to the place you were in before.
- IS
- come up with sth: think of an idea, answer or plan.
- IS
- come across sb/sth: meet a person or find a thing by chance.
- IS NOT
- come back: the object cannot go in the middle; it stays after the small words.
- IS NOT
- The plain verb: come with a small word takes a new meaning, such as return to the place you were in before.
Meaning: Come is a common verb for movement and arrival. With small words it can mean to return, to think of an idea, to be released, to catch an illness and more.
How do people say it?
- Return to the place you were in before:
She came back from Sydney with two suitcases of books.
- Think of an idea, answer or plan:
We need to come up with a better plan by Friday.
Check yourself
What should I know?
What does it mean, and how is it used?
| Meaning | Object in the middle? | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return to the place you were in before | No | come back |
|
| Think of an idea, answer or plan | No | come up with sth |
|
| Meet a person or find a thing by chance | No | come across sb/sth |
|
| Be published, released or made known | No | come out |
|
| Catch an illness such as a cold or the flu | No | come down with sth |
|
| Break into separate pieces | No | come apart |
|
| Visit someone at their home | No | come over |
|
| Fall from a bike, horse or wall | No | come off sth |
|
Map of the small words
- comeback
- Return to the place you were in beforecome backObject goes after
- comeup with
- Think of an idea, answer or plancome up with sthObject goes after
- comeacross
- Meet a person or find a thing by chancecome across sb/sthObject goes after
- comeout
- Be published, released or made knowncome outObject goes after
- comedown with
- Catch an illness such as a cold or the flucome down with sthObject goes after
- comeapart
- Break into separate piecescome apartObject goes after
- comeover
- Visit someone at their homecome overObject goes after
- comeoff
- Fall from a bike, horse or wallcome off sthObject goes after
Small words used with it
- back
- up
- across
- out
- down
- apart
- over
- off
What should I not mix it up with?
- go Go is a common verb for movement. With small words it can mean to continue, to ring, to leave home, to check carefully, to rise and more.
Come is a verb of movement toward the speaker, and its eight meanings on this page stretch that idea in every direction. Come back returns, come over visits, come out is released and come across is found by chance.
When you meet a new phrase with come, look at the small word first. Back, over, out and across each tell their own story, and the pattern in the table shows which story each one tells.
The eight meanings on this page keep the object after the pair. The small word stays next to the verb.
You say come up with a plan and come down with the flu. You do not split the pair.
Learners who know put and take sometimes try to split come as well. Resist it: come keeps its small words close in each row of the table, and the check below does not ask you to move one.
The past form of come is came, and it stays the same for each person: I came, she came, they came. Two meanings need extra care with the words around them.
Come up with has an object, the idea or plan you thought of. Come across takes a person or a thing you met by chance, not on purpose. Say each row aloud with its example until the small words feel fixed.
Come back and come over look alike but answer different questions. Back returns you to where you were, as in came back from Sydney. Over brings you to where someone else is, as in come over for dinner.
Come off and come apart both break things, but off falls from a height and apart breaks into pieces. Write your own sentence for each row, then try the check below.
Other base verbs
Questions people ask
What is the past of come?
Came, for every person: I came, she came, they came. The small word stays the same, so you say came back, came over and came across.
Can the object go in the middle with come?
Not in any of the eight meanings on this page. Say come up with a plan and come down with the flu, with the small words next to the verb.
What is the difference between come back and come over?
Back returns you to where you were before; over brings you to where someone else is. Came back from Sydney is a return, and come over for dinner is a visit.
Does come across mean on purpose?
No, it means by chance. You come across an old photo or an old friend; finding by plan needs a plainer verb such as find.
Sources and dates
- EasySay's own writing for the phrasal verbs, EasySay. Licence: original writing for EasySay. Checked .
Cite this page
EasySay. "Phrasal verbs with come". https://easysay.org/phrasal-verbs/come. Last updated 23 October 2026.
https://easysay.org/phrasal-verbs/come