What is the meaning of come up?

verb

  • Bring forth, usually something desirable.
    • usage: "The committee came up with some interesting recommendations"
  • Result or issue.
    • usage: "A slight unpleasantness arose from this discussion"
  • Move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody.
    • usage: "He came singing down the road"; "Come with me to the Casbah"; "come down here"; "come out of the closet"; "come into the room"
  • Come to the surface.
  • Originate or come into being.
    • usage: "a question arose"
  • Move upward.
    • usage: "The fog lifted"; "The smoke arose from the forest fire"; "The mist uprose from the meadows"
  • Be mentioned.
    • usage: "These names came up in the discussion"
  • Start running, functioning, or operating.
    • usage: "the lights went on"; "the computer came up"
  • Get something or somebody for a specific purpose.
    • usage: "I found this gadget that will serve as a bottle opener"; "I got hold of these tools to fix our plumbing"; "The chairman got hold of a secretary on Friday night to type the urgent letter"
  • Come up, of celestial bodies.
    • usage: "The sun also rises"; "The sun uprising sees the dusk night fled..."; "Jupiter ascends"
  • Gather (money or other resources) together over time.
    • usage: "She had scraped together enough money for college"; "they scratched a meager living"
  • Gather or bring together.
    • usage: "muster the courage to do something"; "she rallied her intellect"; "Summon all your courage"
8
 
|15 years ago|2.6k views|share |citing 
APAWordNet. (2010). come up. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/come_up/definitions/1266689
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "come up" http://smartdefine.org/come_up/definitions/1266689 (accessed September 22, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, come up, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/come_up/definitions/1266689>.
MLAWordNet. "come up" 23 October 2010. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/come_up/definitions/1266689>