come up

verb

came up; come up; coming up; comes up

intransitive verb

1
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The nature of a training camp quarterback competition is that the participant who comes up short — or participants, in the case of Denver Broncos QBs last summer — tends to fade quickly into the background. Nick Kosmider, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025 By Monday morning so many streets were blocked off in downtown Washington, even to pedestrians, that people came up against metal fencing at one street corner after another trying to reach their destinations. Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025 There are also theater and music performances coming up for those who love a live show. Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2025 Yet as those contracts come up for renewal, leagues may opt to take their games elsewhere, particularly as broadcast becomes less profitable and viewers switch to streaming. Alex Cranz, WIRED, 21 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for come up 

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of come up was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near come up

Cite this Entry

“Come up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20up. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on come up

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