come up
Britishverb
-
to come to a place regarded as higher
-
(of the sun) to rise
-
to begin
a wind came up
-
to be regurgitated or vomited
-
to present itself or be discussed
that question will come up again
-
to begin a term, esp one's first term, at a college or university
-
to appear from out of the ground
my beans have come up early this year
-
informal to win
have your premium bonds ever come up?
-
to be faced with; come into conflict or competition with
-
to equal or meet a standard
that just doesn't come up to scratch
-
to produce or find
she always comes up with the right answer
-
Arise, present itself, as in This question never came up . [Mid-1800s]
-
Rise (from a lower place to a higher one) as in We'll leave as soon as the sun comes up . [9th century]
-
Also, come up to . Approach, come near, as in He came up and said hello , or The dog came right up to Nora . [Early 1700s]
-
Also, come up to . Rise in status or value, be equal to, as in His paintings will never come up to his teacher's , or This officer came up through the ranks . [c. 1600] A variant is , used for someone who has risen in rank, wealth, or status; for example, He has really come up in the world—he now owns a yacht , or I could see at once that she was a woman who would rise in the world . Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with come up .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While the database-software company delivered with its latest results Monday, it came up short with some aspects of its guidance.
From MarketWatch
While the database-software company delivered with its latest results Monday, it came up short with some aspects of its guidance.
From MarketWatch
Specifically, his proximity to Robert Ressler, a special agent said to have come up with the term “serial killers,” and who spent much of his career speaking with them.
From Los Angeles Times
Crockett has even come up in state legislative races.
From Salon
So sometimes Harry Potter fans will come up to me and say something, and I will look at them blankly.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
