come by

To visit someone briefly or move past a place.

• Come by this afternoon.
• A delivery van came by a few minutes ago.
• She came by our house to return my book.

How to use it: come by a place (Come by the office after lunch.); come by for something (Would you like to come by for dinner?)

Similar words: drop by, stop by, pass by

Common phrases: come by tomorrow, come by the house, come by for coffee

To get something, especially when it is difficult to find or you get it by chance.

• Good jobs are hard to come by.
• She came by the painting at a market.
• How did he come by so much money?

How to use it: come by something (How did you come by that old guitar?)

Similar words: get, obtain, acquire

Common phrases: come by money, come by tickets, hard to come by

A command telling a sheepdog to move around sheep in the same direction as a clock's hands.

• Come by, Rex!
• The farmer called, 'Come by!' as the dog approached the sheep.
• When I say 'come by', the dog circles the flock clockwise.

Opposites: away

Common phrases: come by now, come by Rex