come up

Formscomes up, coming up, came up, come up

16 meanings of come up

1
arise unexpectedlyphrasal verbidiomaticintransitive
Of a matter or event, to arise or become known, especially unexpectedly.
I'm sorry to cancel, but something urgent has come up at work.
New evidence came up late in the investigation and changed the whole case.
Similararise, emerge, surface, happen
2
near in timephrasal verbintransitive
Of an event or period, to draw near in time.
With the election coming up, both candidates are campaigning nonstop.
My parents' anniversary comes up next month, and we're planning a surprise party.
Similarapproach, near
3
approachphrasal verbintransitive
To move toward someone or something; to approach.
A stranger came up to me at the bus stop and asked for directions.
She came up behind him quietly and tapped him on the shoulder.
Similarapproach
4
rise (sun)phrasal verbintransitive
Of the sun, the moon or another heavenly body, to rise above the horizon.
We broke camp an hour before the sun came up.
The full moon came up over the hills just after dark.
Similarrise
Oppositeset
5
reach a heightphrasal verbintransitive
To reach as high as a particular point or level.
During the flood, the water came up to the second step of the porch.
Her son is only nine, but he already comes up to her chin.
Similarreach, rise
6
phrasal verbintransitive
To be revealed as having a particular value, quality or status.
Every sample from the old well came up clean, so the town lifted its warning.
The roulette wheel came up red five times in a row, and the whole table cheered.
Note
Two patterns carry this meaning. With to, something is measured against a standard, and the sentence is often negative: the meal never came up to the reviews. With a bare result word, it reports how chance turned out: the coin came up heads, the dice came up sevens. Both treat the outcome as something revealed rather than chosen.
7
soon be atphrasal verbintransitive
To be nearing a particular time, date or scheduled event.
She's coming up on twenty years with the company.
We're coming up on the top of the hour, so here's a quick look at the weather.
Similarapproach, near
Note
Here the subject is whoever is doing the approaching, and on marks what lies ahead: we're coming up on the interview, she's coming up on twenty years. In the "drawing near" meaning the event itself is the subject instead: the interview is coming up. The two say the same thing from opposite ends, so pick the one that matches what your sentence is about.
8
phrasal verbintransitive
To come forward for attention or consideration; to arrive or appear, as a topic, a turn or an item of business does.
Your name came up when we were discussing who should lead the project.
The zoning change will come up for a vote at next month's council meeting.
Similararise, surface
9
go higher (place)phrasal verbintransitive
To move upward or to a higher place, in the plain physical sense of come and up.
Come up to the roof, where you can see the whole city.
The diver came up slowly, stopping twice on the way to the surface.
Similarrise, ascend, surface, climb
Oppositedescend
10
become successfulphrasal verbslangintransitive
To do well for oneself or become successful.
That producer's been coming up ever since his first mixtape blew up.
We're coming up slow but steady, and nobody can stop us now.
Similarrise, succeed
Note
A slang sense from African-American Vernacular English for rising in the world. It is often heard in the progressive, about a climb still underway: he's been coming up lately. It takes no object and belongs to casual speech rather than formal writing. Keep it apart from the "growing up" sense: "where he came up" can mean where someone spent their childhood, not where they found success.

11
opportunitynouncountable
An opportunity or chance that someone can make the most of.
Five bucks for a leather jacket? Now that's a come up.
Signing with a major label would be the come up the band had been waiting for.
Similarbreak, score, opportunity
Note
The noun belongs with the "doing well" verb: a come up is the bargain, windfall or lucky break that lets someone get ahead. It is countable, so people go looking for a come up, and the plural is come ups. In Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's song "Thrift Shop" (2012), the hunt for one begins with only twenty dollars in a pocket.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
“Thrift Shop” is a song by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released in 2012. music.apple.com
The song describes hunting for a come up with only twenty dollars in a pocket. readdork.com
12
happenphrasal verbslangintransitive
Of an event, to happen or occur.
Similarhappen, occur
Note
African-American Vernacular English has several slang uses of the phrase, and this is the plainest: it simply says that an event happened or its time arrived, a shift, the rent, a party, without the surprise of the "something unexpected" meaning. Outside that variety listeners may hear the standard sense instead, so it suits dialogue and casual speech more than formal writing.
13
go to courtphrasal verbintransitive
To appear before a judge or a court of law.
She comes up before the magistrate on Monday on a shoplifting charge.
The three men came up for sentencing last week and were each given two years.
Similarappear
14
get highphrasal verbslangBritishintransitive
To experience the first noticeable effects of a drug taken for pleasure.
Standing by the speakers, I could feel myself starting to come up.
Half the crowd were coming up just as the headline act took the stage.
Note
British drug users say this of the moment a drug starts to take hold: I think I'm coming up. It belongs to casual talk among people who take the drugs themselves; news reports and medical writing say instead that a drug begins to take effect, and using the slang there would sound either knowing or out of place.
15
childhoodphrasal verbslangintransitive
To grow up; to live through one's childhood.
She came up in a two-bedroom apartment with four older brothers.
Kids who come up in that neighborhood learn early to look out for each other.
Note
A place or a circumstance usually follows: came up in Baltimore, came up poor, came up hard. Standard English says grew up for the same idea, and that is the safer choice in formal writing. The past tense dominates, since a childhood is usually told looking back.
16
arrive (Oxford)phrasal verbUKintransitive
At Oxford University, to arrive at the university, as opposed to going down from it.
She came up to Oxford in the autumn to read history.
Most freshers come up a few days before term begins.
Note
Oxford has its own vocabulary of direction: a student comes up on arriving, goes down on leaving, and is sent down if expelled. The direction has nothing to do with the map, so one comes up to Oxford from anywhere, north or south. The verb usually takes to and the place, or stands alone when the university is understood.

Practice

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