COME, v.i.

A sprout. [Not used.] – Mortimer.

1. To move towards; to advance nearer, in any manner, and from any distance. We say, the men come this way, whether riding or on foot; the wind comes from the west; the ship comes with a fine breeze; light comes from the sun. It is applicable perhaps to every thing susceptible of motion, and is opposed to go.
2. To draw nigh; to approach; to arrive; to be present; as, the time has come. Come thou and all thy house into the ark. – Gen. vii. All my time will I wait, till my change come. – Job. xiv. When shall I come and appear before God? – Ps. xlii. Then shall the end come. – Matth. xxiv. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done. – Matth. vi.
3. To advance and arrive at some state or condition; as, the ships came to action; the players came to blows; is it come to this? His sons came to honor and he knoweth it not. Job xiv. I wonder how he came to know what had been done; how did he come by his knowledge; the heir comes into possession of his estate; the man will come in time to abhor the vices of his youth, or he will come to be poor and despicable, or to poverty. In these and similar phrases, we observe the process or advance is applied to the body or to the mind, indifferently; and to persons or events.
4. To happen or fall out; as, how comes that? let come what will. Hence when followed by an object or person, with to or on, to befall; to light on. After all that has come on us for our evil deeds. Ezra ix. All things come alike to all. Eccles. ix.
5. To advance or move into view; to appear; as, blood or color comes and goes in the face. – Spenser. Shak.
6. To sprout, as plants; to spring. The corn comes or comes up. “In the coming or sprouting of malt, as it must not come too little, so it must not come too much.” Mortimer. So Bacon uses the word; and this use of it coincides nearly with the sense of קום, quom, 2 Kings xix. 26, and in the same chapter inserted in Isaiah xxxvii. 27. It is the G. keimen, Icelandic keima, to bud or germinate.
7. To become. So came I a widow. – Shak.
8. To appear or be formed, as butter; to advance or change from cream to butter; a common use of the word; as, the butter comes. – Hudibras.
9. Come, in the imperative, is used to excite attention, or to invite to motion or joint action; come, let us go. This is the heir; come let us kill him. – Matth. xxi. When repeated, it sometimes expresses haste; come, come. Sometimes it expresses or introduces rebuke. As the sense of come is to move, in almost any manner, in its various applications, that sense is modified indefinitely by other words used in connection with it. Thus with words expressing approach, it denotes advancing nearer; with words expressing departure, as from, of, out of, &c., it denotes motion from, &c. To come about, to happen; to fall out; to come to pass; to arrive. How did these things come about? So the French venir à bout, to come to the end, that is to arrive. To come about, to turn; to change; to come round. The wind will come about from west to east. The ship comes about. It is applied to a change of sentiments. On better thoughts, and my urged reasons, / They are come about, and won to the true side. – B. Jonson. To come again, to return. – Gen. xxviii. Lev. xiv. To come after, to follow. – Matth. xvi. Also, to come to obtain; as, to come after a book. To come at, to reach; to arrive within reach of; to gain; to come so near as to be able to take or possess. We prize those most who are hardest to come at. To come at a true knowledge of ourselves. – Addison. Also, to come toward, as in attacking. To come away, to depart from; to leave; to issue from. To come back, to return. To come by, to pass near; a popular phrase. Also, to obtain, gain, acquire; that is, to come near at, or close. Examine how you came by all your state. – Dryden. This is not an irregular or improper use of this word. It is precisely equivalent to possess, to sit by. [See Possess.] So in Ger. bekommen, D. bekoomen, to get or obtain; the by or be prefixed. To come down, to descend. The Lord will come down on Mount Sinai. – Ex. xix. Also, to be humbled or abased. Your principalities shall come down. – Jer. xiii. Come down from thy glory. – Jer. xlviii. To come for, to come to get or obtain; to come after. To come forth, to issue or proceed from. – Gen. xv. Is. xi. Micah v. Also, to depart from; to leave. – Mark ix. Also, to come abroad. – Jer. iv. To come from, to depart from; to leave. In popular language, this phrase is equivalent to, where is his native place or former place of residence; where did this man, this animal, or this plant originate. To come home, that is, to come to home, or the house; to arrive at the dwelling. Hence, to come close; to press closely; to touch the feelings, interest, or reason. [See Home.] To come in, to enter, as into an enclosure. Also, to comply; to yield; as, come in and submit. Also, to arrive at a port, or place of rendezvous; as, the fleet has come in. Also, to become fashionable; to be brought into use. Silken garments did not come in till late. – Arbuthnot. Also, to enter as an ingredient or part of a composition. A nice sense of propriety comes in to highten the character. Also, to grow and produce; to come to maturity and yield. If the corn comes in well, we shall have a supply without importation. Crops come in light. Also, to lie carnally with. – Gen. xxxviii. To come in for, to arrive in time to take a share. Johnson says this phrase is taken from hunting, where the slow dogs take nothing. Qu. But the sense in which we now use the phrase has no reference to time or slow movement. It is, to unite with others in taking a part. The rest came in for subsidies. – Swift. To come into, to join with; to bring help. Also, and more generally, to agree to; to comply with; to unite with others in adopting; as, to come into a measure or scheme. To come near, to approach in place. Hence metaphorically, to approach in quality; to arrive at nearly the same degree in a quality, or accomplishment; to resemble. – Temple. To come nigh, is popularly used in like senses. To come no near, in seamanship, is an order to the helmsman not to steer so close to the wind. To come of, to issue from; to proceed from, as a descendant. Of Priam's royal race my mother came. – Dryden. Also, to proceed from, as an effect from a cause. This comes of judging by the eye. – L'Estrange. Whence come wars … come they not of your lusts? – James iv. To come off, to depart from; to move from on. Also, to depart or deviate from a line or point; to become wider; to dilate. – Bacon. Also, to escape; to get free. If they come off safe, call their deliverance a miracle. – Addison. Hence, to end; to arrive at the final issue; as, to come off with honor or disgrace. To come off from, to leave; to quit. – Felton. To come on, to advance; to proceed; as, come on, brave boys, night is coming on. So we say, the young man comes on well in his studies, and the phrase often denotes a prosperous advance, successful improvement. So we say of plants, they come on well, they grow or thrive – that is, they proceed. Also, to fall on; to happen to. Lest that come on you which is spoken of in the prophets. – Acts xiii. Also, to invade; to rush on. To come over, to pass above or across, or from one side to another. In distillation, to rise and pass over, as vapor. Also, to pass from one party, side or army to another; to change sides. To come out, to depart or proceed from. They shall come out with great substance. – Gen. xv. Also, to become public; to escape from concealment or privacy; to be discovered; as, the truth is come out at last. Also, to be published, as a book. The work comes out in quarto. Also, to end or come to an issue; as, how will this affair come out; he has come out well at last. Also, to appear after being clouded, and to shine; as, the sun has come out. To come out of, to issue forth, as from confinement, or a close place; to proceed or depart from. Also to issue from, as, descendants. Kings shall come out of thee. Gen. xvii. To come out with, to give publicity to; to disclose. – Boyle. To come short, to fail; not to accomplish. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Rom. iii. To come to, to consent or yield. – Swift. Also, to amount to; as, the taxes come to a large sum. Also, to recover, as from a swoon. To come together, to meet or assemble. To come to pass, to be; to happen; to fall out; to be effected. The phrase is much used in the common version of the Scriptures, but is seldom found in modern English writings. To come up, to ascend; to rise. Also, to spring; to shoot or rise above the earth, as a plant. – Bacon. Also, to come into use, as a fashion. To come up the capstern, in seamanship, is to turn it the contrary way, so as to slacken the rope about it. To come up the tackle fall, is to slacken it gently. To come up to, to approach near. Also, to amount to. Also, to advance to; to rise to. To come up with, to overtake, in following or pursuit. To come upon, to fall on; to attack or invade. To come, in futurity; to happen hereafter. In times to come. Success is yet to come. Take a lease for years to come. – Locke. Come is an intransitive verb, but the participle come is much used with the substantive verb, in the passive form. “The end of all flesh is come.” I am come, thou art come, he is come, we are come, &c. This use of the substantive verb, for have, is perhaps too well established to be rejected; but have or has should be used in such phrases. In the phrase, “come Friday, come Candlemas,” there is an ellipsis of certain words, as, when Friday shall come. Come, come, the repetition of come, expresses haste, or exhortation to hasten. Sometimes it introduces a threat.

1. To move hitherward; to draw near; to approach the speaker, or some place or person indicated; -- opposed to go.
   
   

   Look, who comes yonder?
   Shak.

   I did not come to curse thee.
   Tennyson.

2. To carry through; to succeed in; as, you can't come any tricks here.
   
   
   [Slang]

   To come it, to succeed in a trick of any sort. [Slang]

3. Coming.
   
   
   [Obs.] Chaucer.
4. To complete a movement toward a place; to arrive.
   
   

   When we came to Rome.
   Acts xxviii. 16.

   Lately come from Italy.
   Acts xviii. 2.

5. To approach or arrive, as if by a journey or from a distance.
   
   
   "Thy kingdom come." Matt. vi. 10.

   The hour is coming, and now is.
   John. v. 25.

   So quick bright things come to confusion.
   Shak.

6. To approach or arrive, as the result of a cause, or of the act of another.
   
   

   From whence come wars?
   James iv. 1.

   Both riches and honor come of thee !
   1 Chron. xxix. 12.

7. To arrive in sight; to be manifest; to appear.
   
   

   Then butter does refuse to come.
   Hudibras.

8. To get to be, as the result of change or progress; -- with a predicate; as, to come untied.
   
   

   How come you thus estranged?
   Shak.

   How come her eyes so bright?
   Shak.

   * Am come, is come, etc., are frequently used instead of have come, has come, etc., esp. in poetry. The verb to be gives a clearer adjectival significance to the participle as expressing a state or condition of the subject, while the auxiliary have expresses simply the completion of the action signified by the verb.

   Think not that I am come to destroy.
   Matt. v. 17.

   We are come off like Romans.
   Shak.

   The melancholy days are come, the saddest of the year.
   Bryant.

   Come may properly be used (instead of go) in speaking of a movement hence, or away, when there is reference to an approach to the person addressed; as, I shall come home next week; he will come to your house to-day. It is used with other verbs almost as an auxiliary, indicative of approach to the action or state expressed by the verb; as, how came you to do it? Come is used colloquially, with reference to a definite future time approaching, without an auxiliary; as, it will be two years, come next Christmas; i. e., when Christmas shall come.

   They were cried
   In meeting, come next Sunday.
   Lowell.

   Come, in the imperative, is used to excite attention, or to invite to motion or joint action; come, let us go. "This is the heir; come, let us kill him." Matt. xxi. 38. When repeated, it sometimes expresses haste, or impatience, and sometimes rebuke. "Come, come, no time for lamentation now." Milton.

   To come, yet to arrive, future. "In times to come." Dryden. "There's pippins and cheese to come." Shak. -- To come about. (a) To come to pass; to arrive; to happen; to result; as, how did these things come about? (b) To change; to come round; as, the ship comes about. "The wind is come about." Shak.

   On better thoughts, and my urged reasons,
   They are come about, and won to the true side.
   B. Jonson.

   -- To come abroad. (a) To move or be away from one's home or country. "Am come abroad to see the world." Shak. (b) To become public or known. [Obs.] "Neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come abroad." Mark. iv. 22. -- To come across, to meet; to find, esp. by chance or suddenly. "We come across more than one incidental mention of those wars." E. A. Freeman. "Wagner's was certainly one of the strongest and most independent natures I ever came across." H. R. Haweis. -- To come after. (a) To follow. (b) To come to take or to obtain; as, to come after a book. -- To come again, to return. "His spirit came again and he revived." Judges. xv. 19. - - To come and go. (a) To appear and disappear; to change; to alternate. "The color of the king doth come and go." Shak. (b) (Mech.) To play backward and forward. -- To come at. (a) To reach; to arrive within reach of; to gain; as, to come at a true knowledge of ourselves. (b) To come toward; to attack; as, he came at me with fury. -- To come away, to part or depart. -- To come between, to intervene; to separate; hence, to cause estrangement. -- To come by. (a) To obtain, gain, acquire. "Examine how you came by all your state." Dryden. (b) To pass near or by way of. -- To come down. (a) To descend. (b) To be humbled. -- To come down upon, to call to account, to reprimand. [Colloq.] Dickens. -- To come home. (a) To return to one's house or family. (b) To come close; to press closely; to touch the feelings, interest, or reason. (c) (Naut.) To be loosened from the ground; -- said of an anchor. -- To come in. (a) To enter, as a town, house, etc. "The thief cometh in." Hos. vii. 1. (b) To arrive; as, when my ship comes in. (c) To assume official station or duties; as, when Lincoln came in. (d) To comply; to yield; to surrender. "We need not fear his coming in" Massinger. (e) To be brought into use. "Silken garments did not come in till late." Arbuthnot. (f) To be added or inserted; to be or become a part of. (g) To accrue as gain from any business or investment. (h) To mature and yield a harvest; as, the crops come in well. (i) To have sexual intercourse; -- with to or unto. Gen. xxxviii. 16. (j) To have young; to bring forth; as, the cow will come in next May. [U. S.] -- To come in for, to claim or receive. "The rest came in for subsidies." Swift. -- To come into, to join with; to take part in; to agree to; to comply with; as, to come into a party or scheme. - - To come it over, to hoodwink; to get the advantage of. [Colloq.] -- To come near or nigh, to approach in place or quality; to be equal to. "Nothing ancient or modern seems to come near it." Sir W. Temple. -- To come of. (a) To descend or spring from. "Of Priam's royal race my mother came." Dryden. (b) To result or follow from. "This comes of judging by the eye." L'Estrange. -- To come off. (a) To depart or pass off from. (b) To get free; to get away; to escape. (c) To be carried through; to pass off; as, it came off well. (d) To acquit one's self; to issue from (a contest, etc.); as, he came off with honor; hence, substantively, a come-off, an escape; an excuse; an evasion. [Colloq.] (e) To pay over; to give. [Obs.] (f) To take place; to happen; as, when does the race come off? (g) To be or become after some delay; as, the weather came off very fine. (h) To slip off or be taken off, as a garment; to separate. (i) To hurry away; to get through. Chaucer. -- To come off by, to suffer. [Obs.] "To come off by the worst." Calamy. -- To come off from, to leave. "To come off from these grave disquisitions." Felton. -- To come on. (a) To advance; to make progress; to thrive. (b) To move forward; to approach; to supervene. -- To come out. (a) To pass out or depart, as from a country, room, company, etc. "They shall come out with great substance." Gen. xv. 14. (b) To become public; to appear; to be published. "It is indeed come out at last." Bp. Stillingfleet. (c) To end; to result; to turn out; as, how will this affair come out? he has come out well at last. (d) To be introduced into society; as, she came out two seasons ago. (e) To appear; to show itself; as, the sun came out. (f) To take sides; to take a stand; as, he came out against the tariff. -- To come out with, to give publicity to; to disclose. -- To come over. (a) To pass from one side or place to another. "Perpetually teasing their friends to come over to them." Addison. (b) To rise and pass over, in distillation. -- To come over to, to join. -- To come round. (a) To recur in regular course. (b) To recover. [Colloq.] (c) To change, as the wind. (d) To relent. J. H. Newman. (e) To circumvent; to wheedle. [Colloq.] -- To come short, to be deficient; to fail of attaining. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Rom. iii. 23. -- To come to. (a) To consent or yield. Swift. (b) (Naut.) (with the accent on to) To luff; to bring the ship's head nearer the wind; to anchor. (c) (with the accent on to) To recover, as from a swoon. (d) To arrive at; to reach. (e) To amount to; as, the taxes come to a large sum. (f) To fall to; to be received by, as an inheritance. Shak. -- To come to blows. See under Blow. -- To come to grief. See under Grief. -- To come to a head. (a) To suppurate, as a boil. (b) To mature; to culminate; as a plot. -- To come to one's self, to recover one's senses. -- To come to pass, to happen; to fall out. -- To come to the scratch. (a) (Prize Fighting) To step up to the scratch or mark made in the ring to be toed by the combatants in beginning a contest; hence: (b) To meet an antagonist or a difficulty bravely. [Colloq.] -- To come to time. (a) (Prize Fighting) To come forward in order to resume the contest when the interval allowed for rest is over and "time" is called; hence: (b) To keep an appointment; to meet expectations. [Colloq.] -- To come together. (a) To meet for business, worship, etc.; to assemble. Acts i. 6. (b) To live together as man and wife. Matt. i. 18. -- To come true, to happen as predicted or expected. -- To come under, to belong to, as an individual to a class. -- To come up (a) to ascend; to rise. (b) To be brought up; to arise, as a question. (c) To spring; to shoot or rise above the earth, as a plant. (d) To come into use, as a fashion. -- To come up the capstan (Naut.), to turn it the contrary way, so as to slacken the rope about it. -- To come up the tackle fall (Naut.), to slacken the tackle gently. Totten. -- To come up to, to rise to; to equal. -- To come up with, to overtake or reach by pursuit. -- To come upon. (a) To befall. (b) To attack or invade. (c) To have a claim upon; to become dependent upon for support; as, to come upon the town. (d) To light or chance upon; to find; as, to come upon hid treasure.