come by

get something, especially when it is hard to find

C1

What does "come by sth" mean?

To 'come by' something means to obtain or acquire it, with a frequent implication that the thing is scarce, rare, or not easily obtained. The phrase carries a subtle evaluative weight — even without an explicit adjective, it often suggests that some effort, luck, or unusual circumstance was involved in the acquisition. It appears most naturally in the near-fixed construction 'hard/difficult to come by', which has become a common way of saying that something is in short supply or not readily available. The phrasal verb also works well in questions probing the origin of something ('How did you come by this?') and in past narrative describing how someone acquired something notable. You will encounter it most frequently in journalism, reports, and formal or analytical discourse rather than in casual conversation.

Examples

How to use it

adjective + to come by

The most common construction, used to evaluate how easy or difficult something is to obtain — almost a fixed expression.

Reliable data on this topic is notoriously hard to come by.

come by + noun/noun phrase

Used in statements or narrative to describe the act of obtaining something, often implying it required effort or fortunate circumstances.

She came by the funding through a series of competitive grants.

how + come by + object

Used in questions to ask about the origin or means of acquisition of something — often with a tone of curiosity or mild suspicion.

How exactly did the museum come by these artefacts?

come by + pronoun

Pronouns follow 'by' directly and work naturally in questions or relative clauses referring back to something already mentioned.

These spare parts are almost impossible to come by — where did you come by them?

modal + come by + object

Modal verbs combine naturally with 'come by' to express degrees of possibility or difficulty in obtaining something.

Accurate figures for informal sector employment can be extremely difficult to come by.

Common Collocations

hard to come bydifficult to come byreliable dataaffordable housingspare partshonest work

Common Mistakes

Separating the phrasal verb

Unlike some phrasal verbs, 'come by' cannot be separated — no noun, pronoun, or any other word should be placed between 'come' and 'by'. The object must always follow 'by'.

✗ How did she come it by?
✓ How did she come by it?
Using the continuous form

In this sense of acquiring or obtaining something, 'come by' is not used in the present or past continuous. It describes a completed or evaluative state, not an ongoing action.

✗ Affordable housing is becoming harder — we are coming by fewer options every year.
✓ Affordable housing is becoming harder to come by every year.
Confusing 'come by' with 'come across'

'Come across' suggests stumbling upon something by chance, with no particular effort. 'Come by' (in this sense) focuses on acquisition — often implying scarcity or some degree of effort — and is especially at home in formal evaluative contexts.

✗ I came across this information after months of research and careful contacts.
✓ I came by this information after months of research and careful contacts.

Usage

This phrasal verb is formal and most common in written English such as journalism or academic writing. It is especially natural in the fixed phrase 'hard/difficult to come by', meaning something is scarce or hard to obtain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'come by' be used in the passive?

No — this sense of 'come by' cannot be used in the passive. Because the object follows the particle 'by' rather than being a direct object of 'come', you cannot restructure the sentence passively. Stick to active constructions.

Does 'come by' always imply that something is difficult to obtain?

Not always, but there is a strong association with scarcity. Even without an explicit adjective like 'hard' or 'difficult', using 'come by' can subtly suggest that some effort or unusual circumstance was involved. When something is genuinely easy to obtain, 'come by' sounds slightly marked — you would typically add 'easy to come by' to signal that explicitly.

Is 'come by' more common in British or American English?

It is used in both, with no significant regional restriction. However, it leans toward formal and written contexts in both varieties — you are more likely to encounter it in quality journalism, academic writing, or analytical reports than in everyday speech.

I've seen 'come by' used to mean visiting someone — is that the same word?

No, that is an entirely different sense. 'Come by my office' means to visit briefly and is informal and spoken. The sense covered here — obtaining or acquiring something — always takes a thing as its object and carries connotations of scarcity or effort. The two meanings are unrelated and treated separately.

What kinds of things typically follow 'come by' in this sense?

Things that can plausibly be scarce, rare, or in limited supply work best — for example, funding, reliable data, affordable housing, spare parts, skilled workers, quality ingredients, or accurate figures. It sounds odd with things that are trivially easy to obtain, unless you are being ironic or using it with 'easy to come by'.

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