come to

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Explanation of "Come To"

Definition: The phrase "come to" has several meanings in English, but mainly it refers to returning to consciousness, reaching a certain state, or becoming aware of something.

Basic Meanings

1. Return to Consciousness:

   • When someone loses consciousness (like fainting), and then they regain it, we say they "come to."
   • Example: "After fainting, she came to quickly when someone splashed water on her face."

2. Attain or Reach:

   • It can also mean to reach a particular point or state.
   • Example: "After months of practice, he finally came to understand the complex math problem."

3. Relevance:

   • "Come to" can mean that something is related or relevant to a topic.
   • Example: "Her comments come to the main issue we are discussing."

4. Sudden Experience:

   • It can be used to describe a sudden realization or feeling.
   • Example: "A great idea came to me while I was walking."

Advanced Usage

• In Medical Context: If someone is unconscious due to an injury or medical condition, saying they "came to" means they regained consciousness.

  • Example: "The patient came to after the surgery and was able to talk to the doctors."

• In Emotional Context: It can describe suddenly experiencing a strong emotion or thought.

  • Example: "Panic struck me when I realized I had lost my wallet."

Word Variants

• The phrase "come to" can be used in different forms, such as "coming to" (present continuous) or "came to" (past tense).
• Example: "He is coming to terms with his mistakes."

Different Meanings

• Idiomatic Use: Sometimes "come to" is used in idiomatic expressions, such as "come to terms with," which means to accept a difficult situation.
  • Example: "She needed time to come to terms with her loss."

Synonyms

Depending on the context, you can use different words or phrases: - Return to consciousness: regain consciousness, wake up - Attain: reach, achieve - Relate to: pertain to, refer to - Sudden experience: hit, strike

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Come around: This means to regain consciousness or to change one's opinion.

  • Example: "He didn’t agree at first, but he eventually came around to my way of thinking."

• Come about: This means to happen or occur.

  • Example: "How did this situation come about?"

Idioms

• Come to a head: This means to reach a critical point.

Academic

Verb

1. return to consciousness
   • The patient came to quickly
   • She revived after the doctor gave her an injection
2. attain
   • The horse finally struck a pace
3. be relevant to
   • There were lots of questions referring to her talk
   • My remark pertained to your earlier comments
4. cause to experience suddenly
   • Panic struck me
   • An interesting idea hit her
   • A thought came to me
   • The thought struck terror in our minds
   • They were struck with fear

Synonyms

• revive
• resuscitate
• strike
• refer
• pertain
• relate
• concern
• bear on
• touch
• touch on
• have-to doe with
• hit