came

came — verb

1. the form of the verb 'come' that is used when talking about something that happe

1.verbintransitiveA1
Definition

the form of the verb 'come' that is used when talking about something that happened in the past — meaning that someone or something moved toward the speaker, arrived at a place, or happened at an earlier time

Example

Asher came to the party late because his car broke down on the highway.

came + to + place (destination)

The delivery van came at noon, just as Élise was leaving for lunch.

came + at + time

Common collocations
  • came home
  • came to
  • came from
  • came with
  • came back
  • came in
  • came out
Synonyms
  • arrived

    focuses on reaching the destination rather than the movement toward it; 'arrived' sounds slightly more formal

  • appeared

    suggests someone or something became visible or arrived unexpectedly

  • showed up

    informal; often suggests someone arrived at an event or gathering, sometimes late

Antonyms
  • went

    movement away from the speaker or a reference point, rather than toward it

  • left

    focuses on departing from a place rather than arriving

Grammar Patterns

came + adverb/preposition

came + to + infinitive

Usage Note

Only the past tense of 'come'; the base form 'come' and past participle 'come' are different. Frequently used with prepositions such as 'to', 'from', 'into', 'out of'.

Common Mistakes

She came to my house yesterday.
She came to my house yesterday.' (This is actually correct
but be careful: 'He has came home' is wrong.) ❌ 'He has came home.' ✅ 'He has come home.' — The past participle of 'come' is 'come', not 'came'.
Phrasal verbs

came across

phrasal verb

found or met someone or something by chance, without planning to

Pim came across an old photo album while cleaning out the attic last weekend.

Christopher came across a rare book at the second-hand shop near the station.

came up

phrasal verb

was mentioned in a conversation; happened or arose, especially unexpectedly

The topic of summer vacation came up during the family dinner last night.

An urgent problem came up at work, so Hamza had to cancel his dentist appointment.

came out

phrasal verb

was published, released, or made available to the public; also, became known or revealed

The new issue of the photography magazine came out on Friday morning.

The truth about the missing money finally came out during the investigation.

came back

phrasal verb

returned to a place or to someone; also, became popular or fashionable again

Élise came back from Japan with many gifts for her friends and family.

Vinyl records came back in style after years of being forgotten.

came over

phrasal verb

visited someone at their home, usually informally and for a short time

Adisa came over after work to help me fix the kitchen sink.

came by

phrasal verb

made a short visit to a place, especially someone's home or office; also, obtained something

Hugo came by the office to drop off the signed contract this morning.

Caio came by his rare stamp collection through years of trading at flea markets.

Idioms

came true

idiom

used to say that something someone hoped for or wished for actually happened in the past

When Femi won the scholarship, all his dreams came true overnight.

Alessia's prediction about the weather came true when it started raining at noon.

came to

idiom

woke up or became conscious again after fainting, falling asleep, or being knocked out

The boxer was knocked down in the ring and did not come to for several minutes.

After fainting in the hot sun, Hugo came to when a friend splashed cold water on his face.

when it came to

idiom

used to introduce a particular subject or activity, especially when comparing it with others

Rohan was great at sports, but when it came to math, he needed extra help from the tutor.

came — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe reaching a place or becoming present, but they differ in how the arrival happens. 'Came' is the most general past-tense verb for movement toward the speaker or a reference point: you can say 'the bus came' or 'she came to dinner' without any special tone. 'Arrived' focuses on the moment of reaching a destination and sounds slightly more formal — 'the guests arrived at the hotel at six' sounds more polished than 'the guests came to the hotel at six.' 'Appeared' suggests the person or thing became visible, often suddenly or surprisingly: 'a stranger appeared at the gate' implies the person was not expected. 'Showed up' is informal and often suggests that someone attended an event, sometimes late or without much planning: 'Hugo showed up halfway through the movie.' In writing, 'came' and 'arrived' are the safest choices; 'showed up' is best for casual conversation.

came ↗arrivedappearedshowed up

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • came directly
  • came immediately
  • came running
  • came rushing
  • came suddenly

Phrases

  • came to mind
  • came to power
  • came to an end
  • came into view
  • came as a surprise
  • came in handy

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The verb form 'came' is the past tense of 'come', which traces back to Old English 'cuman' (to come, approach, arrive). The past tense form 'cōm' evolved through Middle English 'cam' into modern 'came'. The noun 'came' for a lead strip in stained glass has a separate history: it comes from the French word 'came' (a groove or channel), ultimately from Latin 'cama' (a small bed or channel). These two words share the same spelling today but have completely different origins — a classic case of a homograph in English.