come by

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Explanation of "Come By"

Meaning: The phrase "come by" has a couple of different meanings in English, but two of the most common ones are: 1. To obtain something, often by chance or unexpectedly. 2. To visit someone informally and spontaneously.

Usage Instructions

• When you use "come by" to talk about obtaining something, it usually means you got it without trying too hard or without planning.
• When you use "come by" to talk about visiting, it suggests that the visit was not planned in advance, and you just decided to stop by.

Examples

1. Obtaining:

   • "I was lucky to come by an interesting book at the thrift store." (This means I found the book by chance.)

2. Visiting:

   • "I’ll come by your house later for a chat." (This means I will visit you without a formal plan.)

Advanced Usage

• In a sentence with different tenses:
  • "I came by some unique souvenirs during my travels." (Past tense)
  • "He will come by and help us with the project." (Future tense)

Word Variants

• Come by (verb): As a phrasal verb, it doesn’t have direct variants, but it can be used with other words to express different ideas.
• Came by (past tense): The past tense form of "come by."
• Coming by (present participle): Used to describe an ongoing action, such as, "I am coming by tomorrow."

Different Meanings

1. Obtain:

   • "It’s hard to come by good friends." (Meaning it’s difficult to find good friends.)

2. Visit:

   • "Feel free to come by anytime." (Meaning you can visit me whenever you want.)

Synonyms

• For obtain:

  • "Get," "acquire," "procure."

• For visit:

  • "Drop by," "stop by," "swing by."

Idioms and Related Phrasal Verbs

• Drop by: This is similar to "come by" when visiting someone informally.

  • Example: "I might drop by your office this afternoon."

• Stop by: Another way to say you will visit someone briefly.

  • Example: "Can I stop by your place later?"

Summary

"Come by" is a versatile phrase used to describe obtaining something, often by chance, or visiting someone spontaneously.

Academic

Verb

1. obtain, especially accidentally
2. visit informally and spontaneously
   • We frequently drop by the neighbors' house for a cup of coffee

Synonyms

• come into
• drop by
• drop in