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come across meaning and examples

2025-09-16

Meaning

  • Come across is a phrasal verb that means:

    1. To meet or find something/someone by chance.
    2. To give a certain impression in the way one behaves or speaks.
    3. (Less common) To provide what is needed, often reluctantly (informal).

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: phrasal verb.
  • Transitivity: can be transitive or intransitive, depending on usage.

Typical structures:

  • come across + noun → to find or meet by chance. I came across an old photo in the drawer.
  • come across as + adjective/noun → to give an impression. She comes across as confident.
  • come across with + noun (informal) → to supply, usually money or information. He finally came across with the payment.

Common Phrases

  • come across a problem
  • come across an opportunity
  • come across as rude/polite/kind
  • come across with the money

Collocations

  • Verb + come across: accidentally come across, suddenly come across
  • Adverb + come across: rarely come across, often come across
  • Come across + noun: idea, article, document, stranger, treasure

Examples

  1. I came across an interesting article while browsing the internet.
  2. She comes across as very professional during meetings.
  3. He came across an old friend from high school at the train station.
  4. The teacher doesn’t want to come across as too strict.
  5. We came across a beautiful little café in the back streets of Kyoto.
  6. He finally came across with the information we needed.
  7. You might come across difficulties if you try to do it alone.
  8. The comedian comes across as very natural and friendly on stage.
  • find by chance: encounter, stumble upon, run into, bump into
  • give impression: seem, appear, strike someone as

Antonym

  • miss, overlook (for “find by chance”)
  • hide one’s true self (for “give impression”)