come across

What it means

To find or meet someone or something by chance, without looking for it. A second sense is to make a particular impression on others, as in 'she comes across as friendly'; both senses are inseparable.

Examples

• I came across an old photo of my grandmother in a drawer.
• She came across a wonderful little bookshop on her holiday.
• He came across as rather shy at first, but he's actually very funny.
• Have you ever come across a word that you couldn't translate?

Where it comes from

From the literal sense of crossing paths with something, recorded since the 1600s. The 'give an impression' meaning is more recent (early 20th century) and is very common in spoken English today.

Related phrasal verbs