come up
B1neutral (used across all registers from informal to formal, depending on context)
Definition
Meaning
to move towards someone or something, or to become available or appear.
This multi-word verb has numerous extended meanings, including: to be mentioned or discussed; to happen or occur, especially unexpectedly; to approach a point in time; to rise (sun/moon); to travel to a place, especially a city or university; to be considered for a position or prize; to appear in court; to be vomited; (of plants) to begin to grow; (in gambling) to be dealt a card.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
It is a highly polysemous, separable phrasal verb (e.g., 'The sun came up' / 'It came up in conversation'). The meaning is heavily dependent on context and its object (or lack thereof). Many meanings are figurative extensions of the core physical motion.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major differences in core meanings. However, the meaning 'to go to university (especially Oxford/Cambridge)' at the start of term is predominantly British. The gambling meaning ('to be dealt a card') is common in both, but the phrase 'come up trumps' (to succeed unexpectedly well) is more frequent in UK English.
Connotations
In both varieties, 'come up' can be neutral ('The sun came up'), positive ('A great opportunity came up'), or negative ('A problem came up').
Frequency
Extremely high frequency in both varieties with similar distribution.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
SUBJ + come up (intransitive)SUBJ + come up + ADV/PREP.PHRASE (e.g., come up to London)SUBJ + come up + with + OBJ (transitive, inseparable)OBJ + come up (e.g., 'The subject came up')Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “come up roses (turn out well)”
- “come up trumps (succeed unexpectedly)”
- “come up smelling of roses (emerge untarnished from scandal)”
- “come up for air (take a break)”
- “come up short (fail to reach a goal)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
'A new contract has come up for tender.' / 'We came up against some regulatory hurdles.'
Academic
'This issue came up repeatedly in the literature review.' / 'The exam results will come up for discussion at the board.'
Everyday
'Sorry I'm late, something came up at home.' / 'The sun comes up around six.'
Technical
(Computing) 'An error message came up on screen.' / (Law) 'The case comes up next Tuesday.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She's coming up to Oxford next term.
- The matter came up during the AGM.
- He came up trumps and sorted the tickets.
American English
- She's coming up to New York next week.
- The issue came up during the meeting.
- He really came through when we needed him. (Note: 'came through' as a common US equivalent for 'came up trumps')
adverb
British English
- Not used as a standalone adverb.
American English
- Not used as a standalone adverb.
adjective
British English
- Not typically used as an adjective. 'Upcoming' is the related adjective.
American English
- Not typically used as an adjective. 'Upcoming' is the related adjective.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The sun comes up in the morning.
- Please come up to the front of the class.
- My birthday is coming up soon.
- A great job opportunity has come up in London.
- Your name came up in our conversation yesterday.
- We came up against a big problem with the software.
- The proposal will come up for a vote next month.
- Despite the initial failure, everything came up roses in the end.
- He came up through the ranks to become CEO.
- The defendant is scheduled to come up before the judge on Friday.
- The researcher struggled to come up with a viable null hypothesis.
- Several contentious points came up during the treaty negotiations.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine the sun COMING UP over the horizon; it appears, rises, and approaches a new day. This visual captures several key meanings: appearing, rising, and the approach of a new time/event.
Conceptual Metaphor
IMPORTANT IS UP (an important topic 'comes up' in conversation); THE FUTURE IS AHEAD/UP (an event 'coming up' is in the near future); VISIBILITY IS UP (something that 'comes up' becomes visible or known).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating as 'приходить вверх'. For 'come up with an idea' use 'придумать', not 'приходить с'. 'Come up' meaning 'happen' (Something came up) is often best as 'случилось', 'произошло', or 'возникло'. Confusion with 'come up to' meaning 'approach' vs. 'live up to' (соответствовать).
Common Mistakes
- *I came up it. (Correct: I came up with it.)
- *The meeting came up on. (Correct: The meeting came up.)
- Using 'come up' for scheduled events that are definitely known ('My birthday is coming up' is fine; but 'The scheduled meeting came up' is odd unless it was sudden).
Practice
Quiz
In the sentence 'The subject of funding never came up,' what does 'came up' mean?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is usually inseparable. However, in the pattern 'come up with [idea]', the 'with' is bound to the verb, making it a three-part phrasal verb. You cannot say 'come an idea up with'.
'Come up' is intransitive and means to appear/arise. 'Come up with' is transitive and means to produce or think of something (e.g., an idea, money, a solution).
Yes, many of its meanings are acceptable in formal contexts (e.g., 'The matter came up during deliberations', 'The contract comes up for renewal'). However, very idiomatic uses like 'come up trumps' are informal.
Context is key. Look at the subject (sun? topic? person?), any following preposition (with? against? for?), and the broader situation to disambiguate.