come by
verb
came by; come by; coming by; comes by
transitive verb
: to get possession of : acquire
a good job is hard to come by
intransitive verb
: to make a visit
came by after dinner
Synonyms
- call
- come over
- drop by
- drop in
- pop (in)
- run (over)
- run in
- step in
- stop (by or in)
- visit
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
come by after work and I'll give you some clothes for the rummage sale a literary award like that isn't easy to come by
Recent Examples on the Web When Lhakpa was a child, certain spices and ingredients were hard to come by in the mountains. 
Jess Eng, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2022 Jobs that pay well are hard to come by in Jamaica, Powell said, and the lack of tourists during the pandemic made things worse. Katie Johnston, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2022 Money for luxury items can be harder to come by in a difficult economy. Sharon Edelson, Forbes, 18 Aug. 2022 This adaptation is especially useful since black swallowers live in the deep and food can be scarce to come by in the abysmal depths of the sea. Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, 17 Aug. 2022 Did the performance of that film make a green light harder to come by in your case? Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2022 Irrefutable proof is harder to come by in biology than in a field like math or physics, Andersen cautioned. Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2022 Uplifting stories have been hard to come by in America’s oldest sport these days. New York Times, 11 June 2022 The Good News: Justice isn't always easy to come by in our modern world, but one way to achieve it is through peaceful means. Martha Sorren, Woman's Day, 1 June 2022 See More
Jess Eng, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2022 Jobs that pay well are hard to come by in Jamaica, Powell said, and the lack of tourists during the pandemic made things worse. Katie Johnston, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2022 Money for luxury items can be harder to come by in a difficult economy. Sharon Edelson, Forbes, 18 Aug. 2022 This adaptation is especially useful since black swallowers live in the deep and food can be scarce to come by in the abysmal depths of the sea. Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, 17 Aug. 2022 Did the performance of that film make a green light harder to come by in your case? Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2022 Irrefutable proof is harder to come by in biology than in a field like math or physics, Andersen cautioned. Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2022 Uplifting stories have been hard to come by in America’s oldest sport these days. New York Times, 11 June 2022 The Good News: Justice isn't always easy to come by in our modern world, but one way to achieve it is through peaceful means. Martha Sorren, Woman's Day, 1 June 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
came by
verb
1
as in visited
to make a brief visit come by after work and I'll give you some clothes for the rummage sale Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- visited
- ran in
- stepped in
- dropped by
- dropped in
- came over
- called
- popped (in)
- looked up
- ran (over)
- saw
- stopped (by or in)
- haunted
- hanged (at)
- bopped (into)
- happened (by)
- hung (at)
- frequented
- barged (in)
- resorted (to)
2
as in won
to receive as return for effort a literary award like that isn't easy to come by Synonyms & Similar Words
- won
- earned
- gained
- reaped
- brought in
- made
- garnered
- got
- obtained
- landed
- attained
- secured
- acquired
- captured
- realized
- pulled down
- procured
- carried
- achieved
- knocked down
- drew
- took over
- bagged
- accomplished
- accumulated
- scored
- occupied
- grossed
- netted
- amassed
- racked up
- regained
- reattained
- picked up
- caught
- annexed
- cleared
- notched (up)
- recaptured
- reacquired
- remade
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- lost
- paid
- granted
- gave
- forfeited
- gave up
- accorded
- yielded
- surrendered
- handed over
- relinquished
- parted (with)