The Phrasal Verb 'Come Across' Explained
- Phrasal Verbs Explained
- Jun 27
- 8 min read
An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'come across' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context
Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them.
'Come across' is a really common English phrasal verb and is a great one for you to master and have in your active vocabulary. You may have just come across this website online now or you may be a regular visitor but either way, I hope it comes across well! If you did not fully understand the last sentence, do not worry as I will explain all three meanings of 'come across. in this article. Furthermore, I will also give you lots of example sentences to show you how it is used by native speakers. So, without further ado, let's begin....
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THE BASICS
COME ACROSS: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 3 |
Past tense forms | Came across / Come across |
Separable? | No |
Before we look at the different ways that 'come across'Â can be used as a phrasal verb, let's first look at the basics and consider its individual component words 'come' and 'across'.
Firstly, we have the base verb 'to come', meaning 'to move from a place in the direction of where the speaker is'. Alternatively, we can also use it to refer to movement towards where the speaker was in the past or will be in the future.
Are you coming to my party later?
John came to work in his best suit today.
A red car was coming towards us.
The second part of the construction is the prepositional particle 'across', meaning 'from one side of something to the other'. 'Across' does not feature in many phrasal verbs but when it does it can add ideas like discovery, communication and movement and we will cover all of these in this post.
So, now that we have looked at the basics, let's take a look at the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'come across'....
MEANING 1: To move across something towards someone (literal)
CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To come over, to cross, to traverse |
Separable? | No |
If you think about the meanings of the words 'come' and 'across', it shouldn't be too difficult to arrive at our first meaning of 'come across', which is the literal meaning of the combination of these two words: 'to move across something towards someone'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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You can see from the list of nouns above that this application of 'come across' is used with things that a person can physically move across from one side to the other. However, remember that in order to use it, the person or object must be moving towards where the speaker is (or where they were or will be in past and future tenses).
She came across the room to tell me something.
I've come across the city especially to see you.
The horse is coming across the field towards me.
Moira dropped her phone as she was coming across the bridge towards me.
Although this literal meaning of 'come across' is used relatively often by native speakers, we often use the synonym 'come over' (link here) instead. Be careful with 'come over' though as it can also be used to talk about a movement above and across somewhere, while 'come across' does not.
So now we have looked at the literal meaning of 'come across', let's now move on to its idiomatic meanings....
MEANING 2 : To find something unexpectedly
​CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper Intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | ​To find, to run into, to discover, to stumble across |
Separable? | No |
The second meaning of 'come across' is perhaps the most common usage of it in English and means 'to find something by chance or by accident'. In other words, to find something without wanting, trying or meaning to do so.
Typical nouns that this application is used with:
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To elaborate, we use this particular application when we want to express that we had no intention of finding what we found. This carries neither positive nor negative connotations; it is simply used to talk neutrally about an experience.
As you can see from the table above, 'come across' is often used for information as well as sources of information, such as the internet, media or books. It is not uncommon for language learners like yourselves to use it when talking about discovering a new word in the language being learned. In fact, as a native speaker of English, I still come across completely new words all the time!
I've come across this Greek word and I don't know what it means. Are you able to help me?
I was going through my emails today and I came across an important one from my boss that I had missed from last week. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Whilst Roger was studying English grammar earlier, he came across this interesting blog all about phrasal verbs!                                                          Â
Of course, this usage of 'come across' can be applied in reference to finding physical objects and material things by chance as well....
I've lost my wallet somewhere in the office today. If you come across it, please can you let me know. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
After my father died, my mother and I were clearing out his things and we came across some old photos of him from when he was a young man.
She came across a beautiful painting in a small antique shop.
While hiking in the forest, we came across a hidden waterfall.
Although it is relatively informal, 'come across' can be used in both business and everyday English and is heard more frequently than its non phrasal verb synonyms (find, discover).
In a negative sense, we can use it to express that we have not seen or heard of something before and therefore this is typically in a perfect tense.
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I've never come across this kind of situation at work before and I don't know what to do.
Have you ever come across this question in a job interview?
Lucille has never come across this English verb before.
The policeman asked me if I'd ever come across this picture before.
CAN YOU COME ACROSS A PERSON?
Yes, we can also use 'come across' to talk about people who we meet or have met in our lives. In this case, it usually means that we see or meet the person by chance rather than seeking them, although this could also be possible in the right context!
While it is fine to use it in the sense of meeting someone who you know by chance, it is probably more common to use the phrasal verb 'run into' (or also 'bump into in British English) to describe these kinds of scenarios.
I came across a man wearing a bright pink tracksuit in the park this morning.
As we walked along the beach, we came across a group of surfers.
Moreover, it is fairly common to use 'come across' in this way to talk about people who you have met in the course of your life so far. This is particularly so if he or she is someone you consider to be the most or the least of something or is distinguished form others in some way. It can therefore often be found with the adverbs 'ever' and 'never' as well as comparative and superlatives.
I've never come across anyone so rude in my entire!
Lucy is the first colleague I have ever come across who has dared to say no to me.
Martin has to be the smartest 10-year-old I've ever come across!
MEANING 3 : To seem
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To seem, to appear, to come over |
Separable? | No |
The next idiomatic meaning of 'to come across' that we are going to look at in this post has a very similar meaning to the verb 'to seem' and is used to express how someone or something is perceived by another person. This usage is often followed by a noun, an adjective or sometimes both!
Adjectives used commonly with this application: Happy Friendly Rude Arrogant Nice Quiet |
When used this way, the conjunction 'as' should be used before the noun or adjective. You can also use a verb in this construction, however if you do it must also follow 'as' and be in the gerund form.
He comes across as a good guy but in reality he is not at all!
The solicitor came across as professional. I
John comes across as being highly motivated.
It is common for native speakers to use 'come across' when expressing their first impressions of another person, especially if the first impression is a little controversial or negative.
Alternatively, it is also used to talk about how someone was perceived in situations where there is an element of judgement from other people, such as giving a presentation, a job interview or going on a date.
I haven't spoken to my new manager much yet but to be honest he comes across as a bit arrogant!
Well done, you have got the job. I have had some really good feedback from the interviewers who said that you came across really well in the interview!
I had a date with a guy last night and he came across as a bit strange, so I don't think I want to see him again.
In addition, if you really want to 'come across' in an advanced way, then you should know that we also say it to express how emotions or ideas that are expressed in speech, music or films are felt or perceived by people. When we use it this way, it is typical to state the noun for the emotion or idea before 'come across'.
When the King was talking about the death of his mother, his sadness came across in his voice.
He is a passionate teacher and that comes across when he is in the classroom.
MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCES WITH 'COME ACROSS'
If you can memorise some of the sentences below and use them in a conversation, it will help your English to come across as more natural and like that of a native speaker:
I've never come across [noun] before.
I came across your [noun] online
He / she comes across as [adjective] / a [noun].
If you go to [place], you're sure to come across.......
This is the best [noun] I have ever come across.
This is the worst [noun] I have ever come across.
POTENTIAL IELTS QUESTIONS
Describe the most polite person you have come across in your life.
What type of noise do you come across in your daily life?
Discuss some of the most interesting people you have come across in your life.
We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on it and reading it. I hope that you found it useful and have been able to learn something new. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts.
Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'come across'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!!
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