How to Use come by in a Sentence

come by

verb
  • Over the last 24 hours, the magic has been hard to come by.
    — Elise Taylor, Vogue, 6 Jan. 2023
  • The problem is that the fuel is pricey and hard to come by.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2023
  • That and the fact that parking in the dense city is so hard to come by.
    — Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2022
  • Over the years, and across an ocean, facts have been hard to come by in this case.
    — CBS News, 16 Apr. 2022
  • Eight of the Chiefs’ 10 wins have come by a single score.
    — Chris Branch, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
  • Shirlee knew not to come by when Jane’s car was in the driveway.
    — Addie Citchens, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
  • These are things in our world right now that are very hard to come by.
    — Lorena O’Neil, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023
  • And call you up and come by and still have sleepovers and things like that?
    — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024
  • And a stray rock star would come by every now and then.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 30 June 2024
  • Runs have been tough to come by for the Burnsville softball team to open the season.
    — Tom Schardin, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Wins may still be tough to come by, but the Browns will have to find a way in order to not waste the year.
    — Ashley Bastock, cleveland, 31 Oct. 2022
  • Steel was tougher to come by than a kidney on the black market.
    — Laura Lane, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2022
  • For those who haven’t yet booked, flights and hotels may be hard to come by.
    — Allison Pohle, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2022
  • Four of their five wins have come by 5 points or fewer.
    — Kris Rhim, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2022
  • That ended an eight-play, 32-yard drive on a day yards were tough to come by.
    — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2023
  • Power-play goals in the playoffs can be hard to come by at times.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 May 2024
  • The shortage has made those precious cans hard to come by.
    — Kaitlyn Folmer, ABC News, 19 May 2022
  • In fact, 35 of the Dodgers last 39 victories have come by two runs or more.
    — Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2022
  • In a week where birdies have been tough to come by, let alone a string of them, Henley is on a tear.
    — USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2022
  • Tickets for the World Cup are hard to come by in Doha, but not so hard.
    — Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2022
  • Since Democrats haven't won statewide office in over a decade, big donors are hard to come by.
    — Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 16 July 2024
  • The man who wants to make a Grand Slam is going to find a trophy bighorn tougher and tougher to come by.
    — Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2024
  • Change, though, would have to come by way of compromise.
    — Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2024
  • Storage can be tough to come by in small apartments or homes packed to the brink with toys.
    — Lexie Sachs, Good Housekeeping, 12 Dec. 2022
  • But with minutes hard to come by, the time in the G-League became vital, Christie said.
    — Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2023
  • Those, in these next few years, may be harder and harder to come by.
    — Shawn McFarland, Dallas News, 14 Aug. 2023
  • Amid the Great Depression, which stretched throughout the 1930s, joy was hard to come by.
    — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Mar. 2022
  • Roger Williams records aren’t hard to come by, often clogging the bins at thrift shops.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 12 Apr. 2022
  • Lanham invited Arakawa to come by the next day, when the kitchen would be tasting some new recipes.
    — Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Overhauling his swing will take time and reps that might be hard to come by in Los Angeles.
    — Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 3 Mar. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'come by.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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