Come by
2 meanings · select one to explore
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Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To obtain or acquire something (often something rare or difficult)
Example sentence
Tickets were hard to come by.
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
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Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
Common pattern: hard/difficult to come by + (noun implied)
hard to come by
difficult to come by
how did you come by this?
came by it honestly
rare and hard to come by
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
Good jobs are hard to come by these days. ✅ (Correct)
Good jobs are hard to these days come by. ❌ (Incorrect — inseparable, always stays together)
Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To visit someone briefly, often at their home or office
Example sentence
What time should we come by?
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 by (often + time)
come by later
come by the office
come by anytime
come by after work
come by for a visit
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
They came by around 4 PM. ✅ (Correct)
They came around 4 PM by. ❌ (Incorrect — inseparable, always stays together)