come across

British  

verb

1. (preposition) to meet or find by accident

2. (adverb) (of a person or his or her words) to communicate the intended meaning or impression

3. (often foll by with) to provide what is expected

---

come across Idioms  

1. Also, come upon ; run across . Meet or find by chance, as in I came across your old letters today , or He came upon her looking in the store window . or If I run across it, I'll call you . The first term dates from the 1800s. The first variant was used by Oliver Goldsmith in She Stoops to Conquer (1773): “You are to go sideways till you come upon Crack-Skull Common.” The second variant was used by Mark Twain in Tramp Abroad (1880): “If I don't run across you in Italy, you hunt me up in London.”

2. Also, come across with . Pay or give what is expected or demanded, as in He finally came across with some food , or The landlord wants the rent, so come across . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]

3. Make a particular impression, as in He comes across as a very sincere person or Her meaning doesn't really come across; she'll have to revise the speech . [ Colloquial ; first half of 1900s] Also see get across ; put across .

---

Example Sentences

In public, that comes across in his media briefings.

From BBC

Clearly, Parkinson has high potential and comes across as very professional - so can she take advantage of her opportunity?

From BBC

"So when I came across terramation, I was like 'wow - do you know what, it could be a druid in the 21st Century that actually brings another facet of end-of-life and death care into being'."

From BBC

On the show the sisters certainly come across as if they were.

From Los Angeles Times

In an interview after the verdict was read, one juror said Zuckerberg’s answers came across as inconsistent and “didn’t sit well” with the jury.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bump into
• discover
• notice
• stumble upon
• uncover
• unearth