Collocations are a pair or group of words that are habitually juxtaposed. Idioms are a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.
Collocation and Idioms With "Come"
Some collocation and idioms with "come" can be formed sentences as "verb and noun" or used as "idioms." Here are some:
1. Come clean about (something): To admit something to someone, often regarding a wrongdoing that one has tried to hide.
- We have to come clean about what we did before Joe gets punished for our crime!
2. Come close
A: To physically move towards someone or something.
- Come close, kids, so you can see better.
B: To nearly or almost do something.
- We came close to hitting that car, but luckily, it swerved out of our way at the last second.
C: To be similar to someone or something else, often in a particular way.
- Oh, your replacement doesn't even come close to you—she's totally disorganized, and bossy too.
3. Come complete with: To find specific equipment or features
- Our machines come complete with a ten-year warranty.
4. Come early: Literally, to come early.
- I always come early for meetings.
5. Come first: Being the highest priority in a particular situation
- If you're sick, then you should definitely stay home and rest—your health comes first.
6. Come into view: To appear suddenly or become visible.
- I wasn't sure what the bunny was running from, until a dog came into view.
7. Come last: To be in the end.
- Sam comes last in every race.
8. Come on time: To arrive on time.
- The movie starts at 9 am. Please come on time.
9. Come prepared: To stay alert for any unexpected or uncertain occasion that may occur.
- There is a test next week, come prepared.
10. Come right back: As a phrase used when one has to leave but intends to return very soon
- Where's Adam? He went to get some coffee, he said he’ll come right back.
11. Come to a compromise: To reach a compromise.
- We need to come to a compromise about our vacation plans.
12. Come to a conclusion:
A: To make a determination about someone or something.
- The jury came to the conclusion that the defendant is guilty.
B: To reach an end point.
- If there are no other issues to discuss, then this meeting can come to a conclusion.
13. Come to a decision: Literally, to come to a decision
- We must come to a decision about what to do next by tomorrow.
14. Come to a realization: To perceive.
- I have just come to a realization!
15. Come to a stop: To stop, cease, or conclude.
- Every driver came to a stop as the police car, with its flashing lights and siren, sped by.
16. Come to an agreement: To reach an agreement.
- It is great that we were able to come to an agreement.
17. Come to an end: To go back to the end or conclusion.
- I wondered if my football career was coming to an end.
18. Come to life: Literally, to be resuscitated, as a dead person or animal. In this usage, 'back' is often used between "come" and "to".
- The patient did die on the table, but she came back to life once we used the defibrillator.
19. Come to (someone's) rescue: To help someone in trouble. The phrase can be used for both serious and trivial situations.
- Thank goodness the lifeguard came to my rescue; otherwise, I might have drowned!
20. Come to terms with: To begin to or make an effort to understand, accept, and deal with a difficult or problematic person, thing, or situation.
- I should have the report ready for you by this afternoon, I just need to come to terms with this new software update first.
21. Come under attack: To adjust or work against forcefully
- The new policy has come under attack by environmentalists.
22. Come up with: To invent or produce something
- I couldn’t come up with any good ideas for my mom’s 50th birthday party.
23. Come a gutser
A: To fall down. Primarily heard in Australia. Slang
- These shoes are too big and caused me to come a gutser as I was walking down the street.
B: Slang To fail. Primarily heard in Australia.
- Once heralded as a future star of the tech world, Shane came a gutser when his product proved to be a dud.
24. Come a poor third: To finish a race or competition well behind the winner and second-place finisher. Primarily heard in UK.
- I came a poor third in the race because my leg cramped up towards the end of it.
25. Come about
A: To happen or materialize.
- This great job offer came about very quickly—I only interviewed for it a few days ago!
B: To change the direction in which a ship is traveling.
- We need to come about because it seems we've gone off-course.
26. Come across with (something): To fulfill another's needs, demands, or expectations.
- She had previously offered to watch the baby for me, and thank goodness she came across with that because I needed some sleep!
27. Come after (someone or something)
A: To be positioned sequentially after someone or something else.
- Oh, my exit comes after the one we just passed, so we're almost there.
B: To pursue or seek out someone or something.
- The police will come after you once they find out you were involved in this crime too.
C: To be a lesser concern than someone or something else.
- Your schoolwork needs to be your main focus—all of your commitments to sports and extracurriculars come after that.
28. Come along
A: To go with another person to a particular location or gathering. The guest can be named between "come" and "along."
- Can my boyfriend come along? He's very interested in the lecture topic.
B: To materialize or emerge.
- I would have told you about it sooner, but the job offer only came along yesterday.
C: To improve or make progress.
- His guitar playing is really coming along—he can play songs now, and they sound pretty good!
29. Come and get it: An imperative to come to a certain area to eat.
- Come and get it, boys! Dinner's on the table.
30. Come apart at the seams
A: To be approaching failure.
- Boy, this party is really coming apart at the seams. First, there was the issue with the caterer, and now half the guests aren't coming.
B: To become very emotional.
- Poor Jane really came apart at the seams during the funeral service.
31. Come as a revelation: To be different than one anticipated, often in a good way.
- Dana's performance in the play came as a revelation—I had no idea she was such a talented actress.
32. Come at a price: To have a negative or unpleasant consequence due to some action.
- I got the promotion, but it came at a price, as my ruthless behavior alienated a lot of people.
33. Come away
A: To step or otherwise move away from something.
- Please come away from those rickety old steps before you hurt yourself.
B: To travel somewhere. Often used in the sense of a romantic getaway.
- Come away with me to the islands, my darling.
C: To be removed, as of a substance from a surface.
- This sticky goo just isn't coming away from the table, no matter how much I scrub it.
D: To depart from something, such as an experience, event, etc., typically after its completion. In this usage, the phrase is often followed by "with" and something acquired by the end of the experience.
- It's miraculous that you only came away from that accident with a broken arm.
34. Come back and see me: Visit me again in the future.
- Thank you for your visit. Come back and see me anytime!
35. Come back from the dead
A: To become reanimated after death.
- If you don't do exactly what I want at my funeral, I'll come back from the dead and harass you all!
B: To reappear or regain popularity after a period of absence or decline.
- I haven't seen her in years, and now she's suddenly come back from the dead, so she must want something.
36. Come back to haunt (one)
A: To pursue someone or something in a ghostly or otherwise supernatural form.
- If you don't do exactly what I want at my funeral, I'll come back to haunt you all!
B: For a past situation, decision, etc. to cause problems for one in the present or future.
- His poor treatment of his employees might come back to haunt him some day.
C: To return to one's consciousness, as of a thought or memory.
- I've barely slept because that nightmare has come back to haunt me every night this week.
37. Come back when you can stay longer: A phrase directed at a guest who is welcome to extend their visit next time.
- Well, I'm glad we got to see each other, even if it wasn't for very long. Come back when you can stay longer!
38. Come between (two or more people)
A: To be positioned between two or more people.
- Line up in alphabetical order. Billy, you come between Alice and Chris.
B: To cause problems for the romantic relationship or friendship of two or more people.
- I know they're under a lot of stress, but I hope they don't let their financial troubles come between them.
39. Come by (something) honestly
A: To obtain something without deception or other nefarious behavior.
- Are you sure he came by that expensive handbag honestly?
B: To inherit something, usually a trait from one's parent.
- She came by her compassion honestly, as her mother was the exact same way.
40. Come clean: To admit something to someone, often regarding a wrongdoing that one has tried to hide.
- We have to come clean with the police before Joe gets punished for our crime!
41. Come down
A: Verb Literally, to descend from a higher point to a lower one. This usage is commonly used to describe precipitation.
- Come down and look at this flood in the basement!
B: Verb To decrease.
- I hope house prices in this neighborhood come down so that we can actually afford one.
C: Verb To be bequeathed or passed down through a line of inheritance.
- Oh, that antique vase came down to me from my grandmother.
D: Verb To originate with or be announced or decreed by a higher authority.
- I'm not happy about this decision either, but it came down from the CEO, so we have to abide by it.
E: Verb To scold or reprimand one harshly. In this usage, "down" is typically followed by "on."
- It was a mistake, so don't come down on him too hard, OK?
F: Verb To lose one's wealth or social status.
- In the early 20th century, a respected woman in high society came down dramatically if she got divorced.
G: Verb To become ill. In this usage, "down" is typically followed by "with" and the particular illness.
- I didn't do much this weekend because I came down with a cold.
H: Verb To be dependent on something else. In this usage, the phrase is typically followed with "to."
- I can't make a decision about this job until I get a salary offer—my decision really comes down to that.
I: Verb, To become sober again after using drugs or alcohol. slang
- He's starting to come down from whatever he took.
J: Verb, To happen. slang
- Hey fellas, what's coming down tonight?
K: Noun A disappointment or failure. In this usage, the phrase is typically written as one word.
- Not getting into my dream school was a real comedown.
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