Come across
2 meanings · select one to explore
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Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To seem or give a certain impression
Example sentence
He comes across as very confident.
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
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Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
Common pattern: come across as + adjective/description
come across as confident
come across as rude
come across as honest
come across as nervous
come across the wrong way
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
She comes across as a bit shy at first. ✅ (Correct)
She comes as a bit shy at first across. ❌ (Incorrect — inseparable, always stays together)
Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To find something by chance, without looking for it
Example sentence
I came across an old letter in the drawer.
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
Don’t see captions? Click the CC button on the video to turn them on.
Don’t see captions? Click the CC button on the video to turn them on.
Don’t see captions? Click the CC button on the video to turn them on.
Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
Common pattern: come across + object found (noun)
come across an old letter
come across a great deal
come across some information
come across a photo
come across an article
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
He came across a rare coin at the flea market. ✅ (Correct)
He came a rare coin at the flea market across. ❌ (Incorrect — inseparable, always stays together)