come up

Short definition: The phrase come up means to arise or appear unexpectedly, often referring to problems, topics, or opportunities that suddenly need attention.

Looking for a clear and natural explanation of the phrasal verb come up? This is a very common and flexible expression in English. It can describe something appearing unexpectedly, being mentioned in conversation, approaching in time, or even rising physically. Because it is used in many casual and professional situations, context plays a very important role. Below are detailed meanings with realistic examples so you can clearly understand how come up works in everyday English.

come up v. /ˌkʌm ˈʌp/

Forms: come up, comes up, came up, come up, coming up
Related: arise v., appear v., approach v., mention v.
Syllable: come-up

(Verb) To appear or happen unexpectedly.
To come up most commonly means something appears or happens without being planned. It often refers to problems, opportunities, or situations that arise suddenly.

Something urgent came up, so I had to cancel our meeting.

If anything important comes up, let me know immediately.

A new opportunity came up that she couldn’t ignore.

Synonyms: arise, appear, occur, happen, surface, emerge, pop up, develop, present itself, materialize, crop up, turn up
Antonyms: disappear, fade away, be resolved, be prevented, stop occurring, vanish, be avoided, subside, die down, end completely, be eliminated, be settled
(Verb) To be mentioned or discussed.
Come up can also describe a topic being mentioned during a conversation. It suggests that the subject appears naturally in discussion.

Your name came up during the meeting yesterday.

That issue will probably come up again in the next session.

The topic of budgets came up unexpectedly.

Synonyms: be mentioned, be raised, be brought up, be discussed, be introduced, be referred to, be noted, be highlighted, be addressed, be talked about, be presented, be pointed out
Antonyms: be ignored, be skipped, be avoided, remain unspoken, be overlooked, stay hidden, be excluded, be left out, be dismissed, be silenced, be suppressed, go unnoticed
(Verb) To approach in time or become due.
In another sense, come up refers to something approaching, especially an event or deadline. It emphasizes that the time is getting closer.

My exam is coming up next week.

The holidays are coming up soon.

A big project deadline is coming up.

Synonyms: approach, draw near, be due, be upcoming, near, advance toward, be imminent, be on the horizon, loom, move closer, arrive soon, be forthcoming
Antonyms: pass, go by, move away, be postponed, be delayed, recede, be distant, be far off, be canceled, fade into past, move backward, be deferred
(Verb) To rise or move upward.
Come up can also have a physical meaning, referring to something rising or moving upward, such as the sun or water level.

The sun came up early this morning.

The water level began to come up after the heavy rain.

She watched the balloon come up into the sky.

Synonyms: rise, go up, ascend, lift, climb, elevate, move upward, surge upward, increase height, grow higher, mount, soar
Antonyms: fall, go down, descend, drop, sink, lower, decline, decrease, slide down, plunge, dip, collapse downward

Conversation Using the Phrasal Verb Come up

In a strategy meeting at a tech startup, Liam and Chloe discuss unforeseen events. This dialogue explores come up, which means to happen unexpectedly, to be mentioned, or for the sun to rise in the morning.

Liam: I’m sorry I’m late; a minor emergency managed to come up at home just as I was about to leave for work.

Chloe: Don't worry about it; these things often come up when you least expect them to happen in your daily life.

Liam: I read that your name did come up several times during the board meeting as a potential candidate for the promotion.

Chloe: I noticed that the sun started to come up at five a.m. today, which made for a very beautiful and peaceful morning.

Liam: If a better opportunity doesn't come up soon, I might have to consider looking for a job in a different city or country.

Chloe: I saw a very strange question come up on the final exam that none of the students were actually prepared to answer.

Liam: It’s important to be flexible because you never know what kind of challenges might come up during a complex project like this.

Chloe: I agree; we need to come up with a creative solution to the budget issue before the end of the fiscal year.

Liam: I’m going to come up to the stage now; it’s my turn to present the new software features to the entire development team.

Chloe: Good luck; once the topic of security starts to come up, I’ll be ready to support your technical explanations with data.

Phrases Containing the Phrasal Verb Come Up

The phrases below show how the phrasal verb come up is used to talk about arising situations, being mentioned, or approaching events.

Come up with an idea

To think of something new.

She came up with an idea that solved the problem in a creative and efficient way.

Come up in conversation

To be mentioned while talking.

The topic came up in conversation during our team lunch and sparked an interesting debate.

Come up soon

To happen in the near future.

An important deadline is coming up soon, so we need to prepare carefully.

Come up with a solution

To find an answer.

The engineers worked overnight to come up with a solution before the product launch.

Come up unexpectedly

To arise without warning.

Several issues came up unexpectedly during the testing phase.

Come up during the meeting

To be raised in discussion.

New concerns came up during the meeting that required immediate attention.

Come up with a plan

To create a strategy.

We need to come up with a plan that addresses both short-term and long-term goals.

Come up next

To happen after something else.

The next speaker will come up next after a brief intermission.

Come up to expectations

To meet standards.

The product came up to expectations and received positive reviews from users.

Come up with an excuse

To invent a reason.

He tried to come up with an excuse for being late, but no one seemed convinced.

Come up in the exam

To appear as a question topic.

That specific theory often comes up in the exam, so make sure you understand it well.

Come up with a question

To think of something to ask.

She came up with a thoughtful question that impressed the guest speaker.

Come up for discussion

To be considered for debate.

The issue will come up for discussion at the next committee meeting.

Come up against difficulties

To face problems.

The startup came up against difficulties during its first year of operation.

Come up to someone

To approach a person.

A stranger came up to me and asked politely for directions.

Come up in search results

To appear online.

The website now comes up in search results more frequently due to improved optimization.

Come up gradually

To arise slowly.

Concerns about the timeline began to come up gradually over several weeks.

Come up strong

To begin with impact.

The campaign came up strong and immediately gained public attention.

Come up for review

To be evaluated.

The policy will come up for review at the end of the fiscal year.

Come up with confidence

To respond confidently.

He came up with confidence when presenting his proposal to senior management.

Words Rhyme with come up

sum cup

hum pup

drum up

plum up

thumb up

numb up

crumb up

from up

become up

scum up

cup

pup

sup

yup

hiccup

pickup

makeup

shakeup

breakup

wakeup

checkup

stickup

mockup

lockup

linkup

setup

letup

getup

windup

POS: Verb Phrase