Phrases & Expressions

To hold on to someone or something tightly.

• The child clung to her mother's hand.
• The kitten clung to the branch and would not come down.

To lock a shop or building at the end of the day.

• We close up the shop at nine in the evening.
• The owner was closing up when we arrived.

To find or meet something or someone by chance.

• I came across an old friend at the market.
• He came across some interesting facts online.

To break into pieces, often because the parts were not joined well.

• The old book came apart in my hands.
• My cheap shoes came apart after only a month.

To visit someone's home or a place.

• Come around for dinner tonight.
• My parents are coming around this weekend.

To cause problems between people.

• I won't let anything come between me and my best friend.
• Money came between the two brothers.

To become ill with an illness that is not serious, such as a cold.

• I think I'm coming down with a cold.
• She came down with the flu last week.

To offer help or information, especially to the police.

• Police have asked witnesses to come forward.
• Nobody has come forward to claim the lost wallet.

To receive money or property, usually when a relative dies.

• He came into a fortune when his uncle died.
• She came into some money last year and bought a house.

To become separated from the thing it was attached to.

• A button came off my coat this morning.
• This stain won't come off, no matter how much I wash it.