come

/kʌm/
move toward a place

She will come to the party at 8 PM.

This means she will arrive at the party at 8 PM.


neutral

to move or travel toward a place or person

He came to visit me yesterday.

He arrived at my place to visit me yesterday.

Come here, please!

Move to this location, please!

Used for movement toward the speaker or a specified location. Often implies intention or direction.

neutral

to happen or occur

The meeting will come after lunch.

The meeting will happen after lunch.

Used to describe events or situations that will take place.

neutral

to be available or produced

This model comes in three colors.

This model is available in three colors.

Used to indicate availability or production of something.

neutral

to reach a particular state or condition

The milk has come to a boil.

The milk has reached the boiling point.

Used to describe reaching a specific state, often in cooking or processes.

Collocations

come to an endfinish or stopcome into viewbecome visiblecome as a surprisebe unexpected

Related Phrases

Pro Tip

Using 'come' vs. 'go'

'Come' implies movement toward the speaker or a specified location, while 'go' implies movement away. For example, 'Come here!' means move toward me, whereas 'Go there!' means move away from me.

Gold Rule

Direction Matters

Always consider the direction of movement when using 'come'. It is not interchangeable with 'go' without changing the meaning.

Word Origin

Old English 'cuman', from Proto-Germanic '*kwemaną', related to Old Norse 'koma', Dutch 'komen', and German 'kommen'. The original sense was 'to move toward' or 'to approach'.

Usage Notes

'Come' is an irregular verb with past tense 'came' and past participle 'come'. It is often used with prepositions like 'to', 'from', or 'with' to indicate direction or accompaniment. In informal contexts, 'come' can also mean 'to be acceptable' (e.g., 'This shirt doesn't come in my size').

Word Breakdown

come
to move toward
root
English Dictionary