The Phrasal Verb 'Come In' Explained
- Phrasal Verbs Explained
- Apr 11
- 13 min read
An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'come in' 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.
This post is all about the phrasal verb 'come in', which at first may seem like quite a straightforward and easy little phrasal verb but did you know that there are in fact 7 different ways to use it! In the post, I will explain all of these different ways to you and provide you with lots of example sentences to enable you to use it like a native. So, without further ado, let's make a start....
Please like and share the post if you find the article useful (I won't know otherwise)! Also, feel free to leave a comment at the end with your own sentence featuring 'come in' 😊
COME IN: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 7 |
Past tense forms | Came in / Come in |
Separable? | No |
THE BASICS
The phrasal verb 'come in' is formed of the base verb 'to come' and the prepositional particle 'in' and so before we go any further, let's first briefly look at these individual words and their meanings.
'To come' is an extremely common irregular verb in English that is employed in many different ways, with it's main idea being one of movement towards the speaker (in the opposite sense of the verb 'to go'). Additionally, it can sometimes be used to mean 'to arrive' and 'to happen', among other applications.
John came home this morning.
Are you coming on the trip with us?
A lot of people came to my party.
My parents came late to the show.
Dreams can come true.
Christmas has come early for this family.
The prepositional particle 'in' is one that you will all know as it is an integral and widespread word in English to refer to being inside or moving towards the interior of something. This meaning is clear in many phrasal verbs containing 'in', however it can also express different concepts in phrasal verbs like participation (join in) and integration (set in).
So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'come in'....
MEANING 1: To enter somewhere
CEFR Language Level | A1 - Beginner |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To enter, to go in |
Our first application of 'come in' is one that I am sure that many of you will have heard before as it is the literal meaning of these two words combined, i.e. 'to enter somewhere'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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For this usage, we are only concerned with entering an internal space, and therefore this is typically always used in reference to buildings, rooms and places we can physically be inside.
As the verb 'to come' is used to refer to a movement towards the speaker, this should only be used by a person who is already inside a room or building. An exception to this would be when a person who is outside is talking to the person who is inside about entering it.
Please come in and make yourself at home.
We're open; please come in!
As soon as I came in, I could smell the delicious food cooking.
Peter came in from the rain, soaking wet.
Come in, we’ve been expecting you!
It's freezing out here. Can I come in?
Arthur the cat came in through the open window.
MEANING 2: To arrive
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To arrive, to land, to get in, to reach |
The second application of 'come in' means 'to arrive' somewhere and it includes several different and specific applications, which can all be heard commonly in everyday English.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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You may often hear native speakers using 'come in' when referring to public transport such as trains and buses and that is because this is commonly used as a way of saying 'to arrive at a particular place' when referring to them....
My train comes in at 3.30 at Edinburgh station; can you pick me up?
What time does your flight come in?
Jason spent all night at the bus station waiting for the first bus going to London to come in.
Furthermore, when talking about airplanes, it is common to use the expression 'coming in to land' to talk about the final moments of the flight before the plane arrives at its destination.
The pilot lowered the wheels as the plane was coming in to land.
As we were coming in to land over London, I could see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
Alternatively, you may also hear it being used to refer to when someone arrives at home or to another room, building or workplace. Again, this links back to the first application of 'entering' that we have already covered.
Did you hear Sarah come in last night?
What time is Luke coming in to the office today?
Another very common usage of this application is with reference to news and information as when it is received, news agencies and publications will often say that it "comes in".
Some breaking news has just come in about the British royal family.
We will keep you updated as and when more information on the situation comes in.
Some news came in over the weekend about the death of the celebrity.
If you have ever had the misfortune of going into a store to buy something that you urgently need and the store assistant informs you that the item that you want is out of stock, they may have also told you when they expect the item to 'come in'. This is because 'come in' is also used to refer to stock in stores, warehouses and businesses and when it is expected to arrive and become available for sale or consumption.
We sold out of the dark chocolate eggs this morning. The next stock is due to come in tomorrow.
Unfortunately, this product is out of stock at present and we expect it to come in early next week.
SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!
One other way that we can use this application of the phrasal verb 'come in' is with money and specifically when we receive it into our bank account. This could be in reference to one singular financial transaction, however usually it is to talk about earning money on a regular basis as a salary from a job.
I have to go to work every day and keep the money coming in.
As long as the money comes in every month, I am happy!
Has the money for the sale of the car come in yet?
MEANING 3: To become popular
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To become fashionable |
Meaning number three in our exploration of the phrasal verb 'come in' is to become popular or fashionable.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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Did you know that when the word 'in' functions as an adjective, it can mean fashionable, trendy or popular? For example, you might say that a certain colour is 'in' one year or a popular activity may be described as an "in thing to do". This is likely derived from a shortening of the phrase 'in fashion' where we simply drop the word 'fashion' as it not required in the context. It sounds strange but it is definitely something useful to have in your English vocabulary reserves to impress your friends and colleagues!
When we combine this adjectival usage of 'in' with the verb 'come', we arrive at the idea of something becoming popular or fashionable and as such, this is commonly used with trends in fashion, home decor, social media and products for sale on the market.
One final point to make here is that as trends and fashions are always temporary and things stop being popular after a period of time, we can use the phrasal verb opposite 'go out' to describe this (link here).
Flared jeans are coming in again this season.
Bright colours have come in recently, especially for summer fashion.
That hairstyle came in a few years ago and is still trendy today.
Minimalist home decor has really come in over the past decade.
Eco-friendly products are coming in as more people focus on sustainability.
Vinyl records have come in again despite digital music's popularity.
Social media challenges come in and go out so quickly.
Old-school video games are coming in as people seek nostalgia.
MEANING 4: To take effect
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To become effective |
The fourth meaning of our phrasal verb of interest 'come in' is one that you are likely to hear in the business world or when talking about politics as it means 'to take effect'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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When I was younger I used to smoke cigarettes, which I enjoyed very much and I remember being very frustrated about a new law that was introduced in the UK at the time that prohibited smoking inside public buildings like pubs and restaurants. I recall angrily talking about this new ban with my friends, saying that we didn't want it to "come in", meaning that we did not want it to take effect and stop us from smoking anywhere that we wanted.
For the record, I gave up smoking many years ago and I really dislike it now, so I am extremely grateful that this ban did come in 😊
As you have hopefully understood from the example, we use this application of 'come in' to describe the moment or date when something like a law, policy or change is applied and becomes valid or effective.
The new traffic calming rules will come in next month.
The policy came in on January 1st and all employees must follow it.
A curfew came in following the recent protests in the city.
Stricter regulations on plastic use will come in next year.
The law came in after a long debate in parliament.
New safety measures have just come in at the airport.
The tax reforms will come in at the start of the fiscal year.
Changes to the school curriculum will come in from this September.
A ban on smoking in public places came in a few years ago.
MEANING 5: To become involved in something
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To join in, to get involved, to be required, to be implemented |
The fifth application of 'come in' that we will cover in the post means 'to become involved or active in something'.
Nouns used with this application....
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Much like the second application that we covered earlier, this fifth application of the phrasal verb 'come in' has several distinct uses that I will explain to you.
Principally, let me clarify that this application is used to talk about joining or becoming involved with something that has already started and is in progress.
We typically use it when something or someone is introduced into something to make a change of some sort. This change may be to try and and resolve a problem or make something function better. Alternatively, it may be to perform a useful role or function in something that is already going well. Typically, you will hear it in reference to things like work projects, plans that are in progress and ongoing disputes that need to be resolved.
The manager came in to help resolve the dispute between the employees.
I wasn’t part of the project at first, but I came in later to assist with marketing.
Lisa came in at the last minute and saved the entire presentation.
Jeremy came in as a consultant to improve the company’s efficiency.
The new coach came in halfway through the season and turned things around.
Investors come in when a startup shows real potential for growth.
We can also use the alternative expression 'to come in on something' here, which means the same thing and is used particularly when talking about business ventures and money making schemes.
I'd like to come in on that deal with you if I may?
We are asking investors if they want to come in on the project before the deadline next week.
Additionally, it is common to hear the expression "this is where XXXXX come(s) in" with this application, which is used to specify a point when something becomes required or necessary.
We need more volunteers; this is where you come in!
This is where our legal team comes in; they’ll handle all the contracts.
This is the point where technology comes in to make the process faster and easier.
THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN!
Moreover, there are also some specific situations in which you will often hear this application in use that I want to give you and these are discussions, debates and musical performances.
In discussions and debates, particularly the more official ones that are broadcasted on TV or radio, a person 'comes in' to say something and give their opinion or advice at some point after the discussion has begun. They are often invited to 'come in' by the presenter or chair of the debate.
Adam, would you like to come in here and offer a counter argument to the one just given.
At this point, I would like to invite Cathy Green to come in and give her thoughts on what has been discussed so far.
When talking about musical performances, we can use 'come in' to refer to both singers and musicians who start playing or singing at a specific point within a song and not from the very start. We can use it both when they come in for the first time and also following a pause if they have stopped for a bit during the performance.
Sophie, you come in after the first verse, so wait for my signal.
The drummer comes in after four beats.
I missed my cue and came in too late on the chorus.
Make sure you come in on the right note during the harmony.
The lead singer gave me a nod to let me know when to come in.
The choir comes in right after the instrumental break.
MEANING 6: To move towards the land (sea)
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To flow, to rise |
The sixth meaning of 'come in' is all to do with something that I love, which is the ocean and is used means 'to move towards the land'.
Specifically, this usage is all about the tides of the sea, which are the rise and fall of sea levels that are caused by the effect of the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on our little planet. As you may know, these tidal movements are in cycles of approximately 12.5 hours, during which the sea will visibly move away from the coast, revealing more of the beach, and then back towards it, covering it up again.
When the tide is in the part of the cycle where it is moving back towards the land, we say that it is 'coming in'. Conversely, when it is moving away from the shore, we say that it is going out (link here).
Note that we almost always use the nouns 'tide' or 'sea' with this application.
Be careful; the tide is coming in fast.
We should set up our picnic further back before the tide comes in.
The fishermen waited for the tide to come in before setting sail.
As the tide came in, the beach slowly disappeared under the water.
The children ran back as the waves got bigger with the sea coming in.
You can see the boats rocking as the tide comes in.
Low tide will last for a few more hours before the tide starts coming in again.
MEANING 7: To finish a race in a certain position
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To finish, to end up |
For our final application of the phrasal verb 'come in', we are, rather appropriately, talking about one that means 'to finish a race or a contest in a certain position'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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When we normally use this application, it is followed by an ordinal number, i.e. first, second third etc. to specify the position or place that a competitor finished. Additionally, you may instead hear "in first / second / third place" as an alternative.
If you are unlucky enough to be the final person to finish, you would say that you "came in last".
Emily came in first place in the marathon.
He trained hard but only came in third in the competition.
Our team came in second in the relay race.
Despite his injury, Steve managed to come in fourth.
I was hoping to win, but I came in fifth instead.
The underdog surprised everyone by coming in first.
Lucy came in last, but she was proud of finishing the race.
They came in third in the general knowledge quiz.
For any of those among you who enjoy gambling from time to time, it is also possible to hear people talking about their bet "coming in" when they win. This is typically a sporting bet, such as on horse racing or football (soccer).
All of my bets came in today!
I thought his bet would come in but I lost it at the last minute.
IDIOMS FEATURING 'COME IN'
Before finishing the post, let's take a quick look at some common expressions and idioms that feature the phrasal verb 'come in'....
To come in for = We often use the expression 'to come in for' to say that something will be the object or recipient of something. Most commonly, this is negative feedback and criticism, however it can also be used with positive feedback and praise.
The government has come in for a lot of criticism over its new policy.
The movie came in for praise from critics worldwide.
The vegan advocate came in for some harsh comments after her controversial speech.
The company came in for blame when their product failed.
To come in handy / useful = These two idiomatic expressions are very common and mean to become useful at a specific time.
This extra phone charger will come in handy if I ever lose my other one.
The money will certainly come in useful when we are on holiday - thank you!
I will keep this as you never know when it might come in handy!
To come in thick and fast - We use this particular idiomatic expression to describe when things happen or we receive things quickly and in large numbers.
The complaints came in thick and fast after the politician's controversial speech.
Job applications have been coming in thick and fast all morning.
We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'come in'. 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 in'. 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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THE END
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