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Synonyms for come upon


Grammar : Verb
Spell : kuhm
Phonetic Transcription : kʌm



Définition of come upon

Origin :
  • Old English cuman "come, approach, land; come to oneself, recover; arrive; assemble" (class IV strong verb; past tense cuom, com, past participle cumen), from Proto-Germanic *kwem- (cf. Old Saxon cuman, Old Frisian kuma, Middle Dutch comen, Dutch komen, Old High German queman, German kommen, Old Norse koma, Gothic qiman), from PIE root *gwa-, *gwem- "to go, come" (cf. Sanskrit gamati "he goes," Avestan jamaiti "goes," Tocharian kakmu "come," Lithuanian gemu "to be born," Greek bainein "to go, walk, step," Latin venire "to come").
  • The substitution of Middle English -o- for Old English -u- before -m-, -n-, or -r- was a scribal habit before minims to avoid misreading the letters in the old style handwriting, which jammed letters. The practice similarly transformed some, monk, tongue, worm. Modern past tense form came is Middle English, probably from Old Norse kvam, replacing Old English cuom.
  • Remarkably productive with prepositions (NTC's "Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs" lists 198 combinations); consider the varied senses in come to "regain consciousness," come over "possess" (as an emotion), come at "attack," come on (interj.) "be serious," and come off "occur." For sexual senses, see cum.
  • verb happen upon
Example sentences :
  • The boy's hand had come upon a latch; he lifted it, and pushed.
  • Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
  • In the meantime yet worse trouble had come upon the poor Frankses.
  • Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
  • I only wish you had come upon me in a more prepossessing condition as to coolness.'
  • Extract from : « Little Dorrit » by Charles Dickens
  • And this awful trouble has come upon him just because he was kind to another artist.
  • Extract from : « The Incomplete Amorist » by E. Nesbit
  • Perhaps we may come upon it accidentally in the course of the play.
  • Extract from : « Echoes of the War » by J. M. Barrie
  • A terrible presentiment has always warned me of any troubles about to come upon me.
  • Extract from : « My Double Life » by Sarah Bernhardt
  • And I might come upon certain books of which I am greatly in want.
  • Extract from : « Wilfrid Cumbermede » by George MacDonald
  • He seemed to have come upon something which had attracted him.
  • Extract from : « Wilfrid Cumbermede » by George MacDonald
  • Why had this come upon her, this cruel, numbing disgrace and sorrow?
  • Extract from : « Jan and Her Job » by L. Allen Harker
  • There is no reason why evil should come upon the Casa del Mare.
  • Extract from : « A Spirit in Prison » by Robert Hichens

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Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019