come to
B1Neutral to Informal
Definition
Meaning
To regain consciousness; to arrive at a particular state, condition, or realization.
Also: to amount to a total; to be a matter of (something); to become remembered; to reach an agreement or decision.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The phrase is phrasal and intransitive in the sense of regaining consciousness ('She came to'). It is transitive and requires an object in the sense of arriving at a realization or total ('It came to me', 'The bill came to £20'). In 'come to an agreement', it functions as part of a verb + preposition + noun collocation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. The conscious/unconscious meaning is identical. 'Come to' meaning 'to visit' ('I'll come to your house later') is slightly more common in BrE, where AmE might prefer 'come over to'.
Connotations
None significant.
Frequency
Similar high frequency in both varieties. The idiom 'when it comes to...' is extremely common in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
NP come to (intransitive)NP come to NP (transitive)It come to NP that-clauseVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “when it comes to...”
- “come to think of it”
- “come to a pretty pass”
- “come to blows”
- “come to grief”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in negotiations: 'We need to come to a settlement.' In finance: 'The costs came to just under budget.'
Academic
Used in argumentation: 'The study comes to the conclusion that...'
Everyday
Most common: 'She fainted but came to quickly.' 'What's the total come to?' 'It suddenly came to me where I'd seen him before.'
Technical
In medical contexts: 'The patient came to at 14:30 hours.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- After the blow, he took a minute to come to.
- The total came to fifty quid.
- I can't come to your party, sadly.
American English
- She came to in the ambulance.
- The bill came to just over sixty dollars.
- It finally came to me—the answer was obvious!
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The shopping came to 15 euros.
- Wake up! Come to!
- After the accident, he didn't come to for several hours.
- We must come to a decision soon.
- When it comes to cooking, she's the best.
- The investigation came to the conclusion that it was an accident.
- Long-lost memories can come to you suddenly.
- The project finally came to fruition after years of work.
- The two sides came to a delicate compromise after arduous negotiations.
- The full implications of the treaty only came to light decades later.
- She has finally come to terms with her diagnosis.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine someone fainting and friends saying, 'Come to us! Wake up and come back to the real world.' This links 'come' (movement towards) and 'to' (a point of arrival) with regaining consciousness.
Conceptual Metaphor
CONSCIOUSNESS IS A DESTINATION (regaining consciousness is arriving at a place). UNDERSTANDING IS GRASPING/ARRIVING (a realization 'comes to' you).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with the future tense of 'come' + infinitive ('I will come to see you').
- The phrase 'come to' meaning 'regain consciousness' is often mis-translated as a direct motion verb.
- In 'It came to £20', 'come to' is a fixed phrase for totals, not related to motion.
Common Mistakes
- *I came to the idea (incorrect for 'I had the idea'). Correct: 'The idea came to me.'
- Using it transitively for the conscious/unconscious meaning: *'They came him to' (incorrect).
- Confusing 'come to' with 'become': *'He came to be angry' is unnatural; 'He became angry' is better.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence does 'come to' mean 'regain consciousness'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is not a separable phrasal verb. You cannot say 'come someone to'.
In the sense of regaining consciousness, they are synonyms. 'Come round/around' can also mean 'to visit informally'.
Rarely and awkwardly. The conscious/unconscious sense is intransitive, so no passive. The 'amount to' sense is also not typically used in the passive ('A total of £20 was come to' is incorrect).
It is typically followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form): 'When it comes to swimming, he's excellent.'