comˈing noun

1. Arrival or approach
2. (esp with cap) the Advent, or the hoped-for return (also Second Coming) of Christ

interjection

Used as a response to a request or requirement for one's attention or presence

adjective

1. Future
2. Of future importance
3. Ready to make or meet advances (archaic)

come-and-goˈ noun

Passage to and fro

come-atˈ-able adjective (informal)

Accessible

comeˈback noun

1. A return, esp to a former activity or good, popular, successful, etc state
2. A revival
3. A retort, rejoinder
4. Cause or ability to complain
5. Recrimination

comeˈdown noun

1. A descent
2. A disappointment or deflation
3. A degradation

come-hithˈer noun

1. An invitation to approach
2. Allure

adjective

(of a look, manner, etc) inviting (esp sexually), alluring

comeˈ-off noun

1. A conclusion
2. An evasion of duty

comeˈ-on noun (informal)

1. Encouragement, esp sexual
2. Persuasion

comeˈ-o'-will noun

1. Something that comes of its own accord
2. An illegitimate child (also comeˈ-by-chance)

comeuppˈance noun (informal)

Deserved rebuke or punishment

comˈings-inˈ plural noun

Income

all comers

Everyone who arrives, volunteers, etc

as…as they come

To the greatest extent possible

as it comes

However it is made, in any way whatsoever

come about

1. To happen
2. To turn to face the opposite way (nautical)

come across

1. To find (a specific thing) esp during a general search
2. To make an impression
3. To give or supply (often with with)
4. (of a woman) to be responsive to sexual advances (slang)

come again? (informal)

1. What did you say?
2. Pardon?

come along

1. To progress
2. To arrive
3. (in imperative) hurry up

come and go

1. To fluctuate
2. To have freedom of movement or action

come apart

To fall to pieces

come at

1. To reach
2. To attack
3. To approach

come away

1. To leave
2. To become detached

come back

1. To return to popularity, office, etc after being in a losing position, a period of obscurity, etc
2. To return to life
3. To become fashionable again
4. To return to memory
5. To retort (esp N American)

come before

To appear in response to a summons by (a figure of authority) to be dealt with

come between

1. To cause a rift between (two people, etc)
2. To create a barrier or division between

come by

1. To come near
2. To pass by
3. (as a command to sheepdogs) move to the left of the group of sheep being herded
4. To visit (esp N American)
5. To obtain or acquire
6. To come in

come down

1. To descend
2. To be reduced, to decrease
3. To lose (esp financial) status
4. To emerge from the state induced by a hallucinogenic or addictive drug
5. To leave university, esp Oxford or Cambridge
6. (with to) to be a question of
7. To be an inheritance

come down (up)on

To be severe with, to punish

come down with

To become ill with or contract (a disease)

come for

1. To arrive in order to collect
2. To attack

come forward

To identify or present oneself (as a volunteer, as a witness, etc)

come from

To originate from or in

come high or low

To cost much or little

come home

1. To return to one's house
2. To touch one's interest or feelings closely, to affect (with to)
3. (of an anchor) to drag or slip through the ground (nautical)

come in

1. To enter
2. To arrive
3. To receive (money, income, etc)
4. To have a role or function
5. To become fashionable
6. To reply to a radio signal or call
7. (of the tide) to rise
8. To start an innings (cricket)
9. To get within the opponent's guard (fencing)

come in for

1. To receive as, or as if as, one's share
2. To receive incidentally

come in on

To become a partner, etc in (eg a business venture)

come into

1. To inherit
2. To be involved in
3. (of plants) to begin producing (flowers, leaves, etc)

come into one's own

To have the opportunity to demonstrate or practise one's special skills, aptitudes, etc

come it strong (informal)

To do or say much, go to great lengths, exaggerate

come of

1. To be a descendant of
2. To be the consequence of, arise or result from
3. To become of

come of age

To reach full legal adult status

come off

1. To come away
2. To become detached (from)
3. To obtain a specified type of result (with best, worst, etc)
4. To desist from
5. To prove successful
6. To have an orgasm (vulgar sl)

come off it! (informal)

Don't be ridiculous!

come on

1. To advance
2. To thrive, succeed
3. To proceed
4. To begin
5. To appear
6. To give the impression of being (informal)
7. Often in imperative as a challenge or exhortation to attack, proceed, hurry, recover from low spirits, etc

come on stream

(of oil-wells) to start regular production (also figurative)

come on strong (informal)

To speak or act forcefully or aggressively

come on to (informal)

To make sexual advances towards

come out

1. To emerge
2. To appear
3. To result (well, etc)
4. To be published or made available
5. To become known or evident
6. To be solved
7. To enter society
8. To be released or leave (prison, hospital, etc)
9. To declare openly one's homosexuality (slang)
10. (of photographs) to develop successfully
11. (of stains, marks, etc) to be removed
12. To erupt (in spots, a rash, etc)
13. To stop work, strike
14. To declare oneself (against or in favour of)

come out with

1. To utter, to say
2. To exclaim

come over

1. To befall
2. To change sides or allegiance
3. To come into the mind of
4. To make an impression (with as)
5. Suddenly to experience a certain feeling or mood (as in come over faint; informal)

come round

1. To come by a circuitous path
2. To visit
3. To happen in due course
4. To recur
5. To veer
6. To become favourable (in opinion, etc)
7. To become amenable
8. To recover consciousness from a faint, etc

come short

To fail

come short of

To fail to attain

come through

1. To survive
2. To succeed or complete successfully (an exam, test, etc)
3. To arrive, having passed through a (usu administrative) process or system
4. To pass through

come through for

To be a source of help for

come to

1. To obtain
2. To amount to
3. To be a question of
4. To proceed as far as
5. To recover consciousness
6. To stop (nautical)

come to grief

To meet with disaster or failure

come to oneself

To return to one's normal state of mind

come to pass (esp Bible)

To happen

come to rest

To halt

come to stay

To become permanent

come to that

In actual fact, that being the case

come true

To be fulfilled, to happen

come under

1. To be included under
2. To be subjected to (fire, attack, etc)

come undone or unfastened, etc

To become detached, loose, etc

come up

1. To present itself in discussion, etc
2. To appear
3. To shine after cleaning or polishing

come up against

To encounter (an obstacle, difficulty)

come up to

1. To reach (a specified point in space or time)
2. To equal

come upon

1. To attack
2. To affect
3. To hold answerable
4. To meet
5. To find

come up with

To suggest

come what may

Whatever happens

give someone the come-on

To invite or entice, esp sexually

have it coming (informal)

To have no chance of avoiding, or to get, one's just deserts

how come?

How does it happen that?

not know if one is coming or going

To be totally confused, perplexed or disorientated

to come

Future

up and coming

1. Approaching
2. Promising

when it comes to

As far as, regarding

second¹ /sekˈənd/

adjective

1. Next after or below the first
2. Other, alternate
3. Additional
4. Supplementary
5. Another, as it were
6. Inferior
7. Subordinate
8. Referring to the person or persons addressed (grammar)
9. Singing or playing a part in harmony slightly below others of the same voice or instrument, as in second soprano, second violin
10. Helpful, favouring (obsolete)

adverb

1. Next after the first
2. In the second place, as the second matter, etc

noun

1. A person or thing that is second or of the second class
2. A place in the second class or rank
3. A person who is second in rank, eg a Boy Scout or Cub Scout who is second-in-command in his patrol
4. Second gear
5. A person who acts as an assistant to a boxer or duellist
6. A supporter
7. A base SI unit, the unit of time (symbol s), defined in terms of the resonance vibration of the caesium-133 atom as the interval occupied by a specific number of cycles
8. The 60th part of a minute of time, or of a minute of angular measurement (short form sec)
9. A time interval variously measured (see atomic second under atom, ephemeris second under ephemera, universal second under universe)
10. A very small amount of time (esp in short form sec; informal)
11. A second-class university degree (informal)
12. The second person (grammar)
13. The interval between successive tones of the diatonic scale (music)
14. (in pl) goods of a second quality
15. (in pl) a second course or second helping of food (informal)

transitive verb

1. To follow
2. To act as second to (a boxer or a duellist)
3. To back, give support to
4. To further
5. To assist
6. To encourage
7. To support (the mover of) a nomination or resolution
8. To sing or play second to (music)
9. To follow up with another

secˈondarily adverb

secˈondariness noun

secˈondary adjective

1. Subordinate
2. Subsidiary
3. Of lesser importance
4. Of a second stage, esp of an electric circuit
5. Not original, derivative
6. (of a disease or disorder) that results from or follows another
7. (of a voltage, magnetic field, etc) induced
8. (of education) between primary and higher or tertiary
9. (of a feather) growing in the second joint of the wing
10. (of an industry) involving the production of goods from raw materials
11. (with cap; geology) of or belonging to the Mesozoic era

noun

1. A subordinate
2. A delegate or deputy
3. A feather growing in the second wing joint
4. A secondary colour
5. A secondary school
6. A malignant tumour that has spread from a primary cancer to another part of the body, a metastasis
7. (the coils and windings of) the second stage of a transformer, etc
8. The area of the field behind the linebackers (American football)
9. The players defending this area

secˈonder noun

1. A person who seconds a motion, resolution, etc
2. A supporter
3. A member of a second group

secˈondly adverb

In the second place, as regards the second matter

Second Advent or Second Coming noun

A second coming of Christ to earth

second-adˈventist noun

Someone who expects a second coming of Christ

secondary action noun

Secondary picketing

secondary alcohol noun

An alcohol, RR′CHOH, in which R and R′ are two similar or dissimilar molecular groups

secondary battery or secondary cell noun

One on which the chemical action is reversible, and which can therefore be recharged

secondary coil noun

One carrying an induced current

secondary colour noun

One produced by mixing two primary colours

secondary electron noun

An electron in a beam of secondary emission

secondary emission noun

Emission of electrons from a surface caused by bombardment with higher energy electrons from another source

secondary mineral noun (geology, mining)

1. A mineral formed after the formation of the rock enclosing it
2. A mineral of minor interest in an ore-body undergoing exploitation

secondary modern noun

Formerly, a type of secondary school offering a less academic, more technical education than a grammar school

secondary picket noun

secondary picketing noun

The picketing by workers of a firm with which they are not directly in dispute but which has a trading connection with their own firm, in order to maximize the effects of a strike

secondary production noun (ecology) see production under produce

secondary (surveillance) radar noun

Radar in which a responder is triggered by received pulses so that it retransmits a signal

secondary school noun

Any of various types of school for secondary education

secondary sexual characteristics plural noun (zoology)

Features other than the reproductive organs which distinguish between the sexes

secondary shut-down system noun

A system for shutting down a nuclear reactor should the control rods fail to do so

secondary smoking noun

Inhalation of tobacco smoke by non-smokers from smokers' cigarettes, etc, passive smoking

second ballot noun

A system of election whereby a second vote is taken, the candidate or candidates who received fewest votes in the first ballot being eliminated

second banana noun (slang)

A subordinate (orig a vaudeville performer who played a secondary role)

second best noun

The next to the best (come off second best to be in a position of disadvantage after a contest, to be the loser in a fight, etc)

second-bestˈ adjective

1. Next after the best
2. Somewhat inferior

second chamber noun

In a legislature of two houses, the house with fewer powers, usu acting as a check on the other

second childhood noun

Mental weakness in extreme old age

second class noun

The class next to, and in an inferior position relative to, the first

second-classˈ adjective and adverb

second-class citizen noun

A member of a group in the community which is not given the full rights and privileges enjoyed by the community as a whole

second-class mail or second-class post noun

Mail sent at a cheaper rate, therefore taking longer for delivery

second cousin noun

1. One who has the same pair of great-grandparents as oneself, but different grandparents
2. Loosely, a first cousin's child, or a parent's first cousin (properly, first cousin once removed)

second degree see under degree

second fix noun (building)

That part of the joinery, plumbing or electrical work that can only be completed after most of the building, including plaster work, is finished (cf first fix)

second floor noun

The floor above the first floor (qv under floor)

secˈond-floor adjective

second growth noun

1. A new growth of a forest after cutting, fire, etc
2. A second crop of grapes in a season

secˈond-guessˈ transitive verb and intransitive verb (informal; orig US)

1. To judge, criticize, find fault with, using hindsight
2. To predict or anticipate (an action), or the future actions or behaviour of
3. To gain the advantage of, by forethought, anticipation, etc

second hand or seconds hand noun

A hand on a clock or watch that indicates seconds

second-handˈ adjective

1. Derived from another
2. Not original
3. Already used by a previous owner
4. Dealing in second-hand goods

adverb

1. Indirectly, at one remove
2. After use by a previous owner

second home noun

1. A holiday home
2. A house owned in addition to one's main residence
3. A place where one feels as at home as in one's own house

second-in-commandˈ noun

The next under the commanding officer or other person in charge

second lieutenant noun

An army officer of lowest commissioned rank (formerly called an ensign or cornet)

second man noun

A man assisting the driver of a train (formerly, in steam trains, called the fireman)

second mark noun

The character (″), used for seconds of arc or time or for inches

second mate or second officer noun

An officer next in command to the first mate/officer on a merchant ship

second mortgage noun

A subsequent mortgage on an already-mortgaged property

second name noun

A surname

second nature noun

A deeply ingrained habit or tendency

second-rateˈ adjective

1. Inferior
2. Mediocre

second-ratˈer noun

second row noun (rugby)

(either of) the two forwards in the middle of a scrum

secˈond-row adjective

second self noun

A person with whom one has the closest possible ties, almost intuitively sharing beliefs, attitudes, feelings and ways of behaving

second sight noun

A gift of prophetic vision attributed to certain people, eg Scottish Highlanders

second-sightˈed adjective

seconds pendulum noun

A pendulum that makes one swing per second

second storey noun (Brit)

The first floor

second strike noun

A counter-attack (in nuclear warfare) following an initial attack by an enemy

second-strikeˈ adjective

(of a nuclear weapon) specially designed so as to be ready to be used to strike back after a first attack by an enemy and to withstand such an attack

second string noun

An alternative choice, course of action, etc

second thoughts plural noun

1. Doubts
2. Reconsideration

second-to-noneˈ adjective

1. Supreme, best
2. Unsurpassed

second wind noun

1. Recovery of breath after a time, during prolonged exertion
2. A burst of renewed energy or enthusiasm

Second World noun

The (former) Communist countries of the world regarded as a political and economic bloc

at second hand

1. Through an intermediate source, indirectly
2. By hearsay

every second (day, week, etc)

(on) alternate (days, weeks, etc), every other (day, week, etc)