'To come by' definitions:

Definition of 'To come by'

From: GCIDE

By \By\ (b[imac]), prep. [OE. bi, AS. b[imac], big, near to, by, of, from, after, according to; akin to OS. & OFries. bi, be, D. bij, OHG. b[imac], G. bei, Goth. bi, and perh. Gr. 'amfi`. E. prefix be- is orig. the same word. [root]203. See pref. Be-.]
1. In the neighborhood of; near or next to; not far from; close to; along with; as, come and sit by me. [1913 Webster]
By foundation or by shady rivulet He sought them both. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
2. On; along; in traversing. Compare 5. [1913 Webster]
Long labors both by sea and land he bore. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
By land, by water, they renew the charge. --Pope. [1913 Webster]
3. Near to, while passing; hence, from one to the other side of; past; as, to go by a church. [1913 Webster]
4. Used in specifying adjacent dimensions; as, a cabin twenty feet by forty. [1913 Webster]
5. Against. [Obs.] --Tyndale [1. Cor. iv. 4]. [1913 Webster]
6. With, as means, way, process, etc.; through means of; with aid of; through; through the act or agency of; as, a city is destroyed by fire; profit is made by commerce; to take by force. [1913 Webster]
Note: To the meaning of by, as denoting means or agency, belong, more or less closely, most of the following uses of the word: (a) It points out the author and producer; as, "Waverley", a novel by Sir W.Scott; a statue by Canova; a sonata by Beethoven. (b) In an oath or adjuration, it indicates the being or thing appealed to as sanction; as, I affirm to you by all that is sacred; he swears by his faith as a Christian; no, by Heaven. (c) According to; by direction, authority, or example of; after; -- in such phrases as, it appears by his account; ten o'clock by my watch; to live by rule; a model to build by. (d) At the rate of; according to the ratio or proportion of; in the measure or quantity of; as, to sell cloth by the yard, milk by the quart, eggs by the dozen, meat by the pound; to board by the year. (e) In comparison, it denotes the measure of excess or deficiency; when anything is increased or diminished, it indicates the measure of increase or diminution; as, larger by a half; older by five years; to lessen by a third. (f) It expresses continuance or duration; during the course of; within the period of; as, by day, by night. (g) As soon as; not later than; near or at; -- used in expressions of time; as, by this time the sun had risen; he will be here by two o'clock. [1913 Webster]
Note: In boxing the compass, by indicates a pint nearer to, or towards, the next cardinal point; as, north by east, i.e., a point towards the east from the north; northeast by east, i.e., on point nearer the east than northeast is. [1913 Webster]
Note: With is used instead of by before the instrument with which anything is done; as, to beat one with a stick; the board was fastened by the carpenter with nails. But there are many words which may be regarded as means or processes, or, figuratively, as instruments; and whether with or by shall be used with them is a matter of arbitrary, and often, of unsettled usage; as, to a reduce a town by famine; to consume stubble with fire; he gained his purpose by flattery; he entertained them with a story; he distressed us with or by a recital of his sufferings. see With. [1913 Webster]
By all means, most assuredly; without fail; certainly.
By and by. (a) Close together (of place). [Obs.] "Two yonge knightes liggyng [lying] by and by." --Chaucer. (b) Immediately; at once. [Obs.] "When . . . persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended." --Matt. xiii. 21. (c) Presently; pretty soon; before long.
Note: In this phrase, by seems to be used in the sense of nearness in time, and to be repeated for the sake of emphasis, and thus to be equivalent to "soon, and soon," that is instantly; hence, -- less emphatically, -- pretty soon, presently.
By one's self, with only one's self near; alone; solitary.
By the bye. See under Bye.
By the head (Naut.), having the bows lower than the stern; -- said of a vessel when her head is lower in the water than her stern. If her stern is lower, she is by the stern.
By the lee, the situation of a vessel, going free, when she has fallen off so much as to bring the wind round her stern, and to take her sails aback on the other side.
By the run, to let go by the run, to let go altogether, instead of slacking off.
By the way, by the bye; -- used to introduce an incidental or secondary remark or subject.
Day by day, One by one, Piece by piece, etc., each day, each one, each piece, etc., by itself singly or separately; each severally.
To come by, to get possession of; to obtain.
To do by, to treat, to behave toward.
To set by, to value, to esteem.
To stand by, to aid, to support. [1913 Webster]
Note: The common phrase good-by is equivalent to farewell, and would be better written good-bye, as it is a corruption of God be with you (b'w'ye). [1913 Webster]

Definition of 'To come by'

From: GCIDE

Come \Come\, v. i. [imp. Came; p. p. Come; p. pr & vb. n. Coming.] [OE. cumen, comen, AS. cuman; akin to OS.kuman, D. komen, OHG. queman, G. kommen, Icel. koma, Sw. komma, Dan. komme, Goth. giman, L. venire (gvenire), Gr. ? to go, Skr. gam. [root]23. Cf. Base, n., Convene, Adventure.]
1. To move hitherward; to draw near; to approach the speaker, or some place or person indicated; -- opposed to go. [1913 Webster]
Look, who comes yonder? --Shak. [1913 Webster]
I did not come to curse thee. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster]
2. To complete a movement toward a place; to arrive. [1913 Webster]
When we came to Rome. --Acts xxviii. 16. [1913 Webster]
Lately come from Italy. --Acts xviii. 2. [1913 Webster]
3. To approach or arrive, as if by a journey or from a distance. "Thy kingdom come." --Matt. vi. 10. [1913 Webster]
The hour is coming, and now is. --John. v. 25. [1913 Webster]
So quick bright things come to confusion. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
4. To approach or arrive, as the result of a cause, or of the act of another. [1913 Webster]
From whence come wars? --James iv. 1. [1913 Webster]
Both riches and honor come of thee ! --1 Chron. xxix. 12. [1913 Webster]
5. To arrive in sight; to be manifest; to appear. [1913 Webster]
Then butter does refuse to come. --Hudibras. [1913 Webster]
6. To get to be, as the result of change or progress; -- with a predicate; as, to come untied. [1913 Webster]
How come you thus estranged? --Shak. [1913 Webster]
How come her eyes so bright? --Shak. [1913 Webster]
Note: Am come, is come, etc., are frequently used instead of have come, has come, etc., esp. in poetry. The verb to be gives a clearer adjectival significance to the participle as expressing a state or condition of the subject, while the auxiliary have expresses simply the completion of the action signified by the verb. [1913 Webster]
Think not that I am come to destroy. --Matt. v. 17. [1913 Webster]
We are come off like Romans. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
The melancholy days are come, the saddest of the year. --Bryant. [1913 Webster]
Note: Come may properly be used (instead of go) in speaking of a movement hence, or away, when there is reference to an approach to the person addressed; as, I shall come home next week; he will come to your house to-day. It is used with other verbs almost as an auxiliary, indicative of approach to the action or state expressed by the verb; as, how came you to do it? Come is used colloquially, with reference to a definite future time approaching, without an auxiliary; as, it will be two years, come next Christmas; i. e., when Christmas shall come. [1913 Webster]
They were cried In meeting, come next Sunday. --Lowell. Come, in the imperative, is used to excite attention, or to invite to motion or joint action; come, let us go. "This is the heir; come, let us kill him." --Matt. xxi. 38. When repeated, it sometimes expresses haste, or impatience, and sometimes rebuke. "Come, come, no time for lamentation now." --Milton. [1913 Webster]
To come, yet to arrive, future. "In times to come." --Dryden. "There's pippins and cheese to come." --Shak.
To come about. (a) To come to pass; to arrive; to happen; to result; as, how did these things come about? (b) To change; to come round; as, the ship comes about. "The wind is come about." --Shak. [1913 Webster]
On better thoughts, and my urged reasons, They are come about, and won to the true side. --B. Jonson.
To come abroad. (a) To move or be away from one's home or country. "Am come abroad to see the world." --Shak. (b) To become public or known. [Obs.] "Neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come abroad." --Mark. iv. 22.
To come across, to meet; to find, esp. by chance or suddenly. "We come across more than one incidental mention of those wars." --E. A. Freeman. "Wagner's was certainly one of the strongest and most independent natures I ever came across." --H. R. Haweis.
To come after. (a) To follow. (b) To come to take or to obtain; as, to come after a book.
To come again, to return. "His spirit came again and he revived." --Judges. xv. 19. -
To come and go. (a) To appear and disappear; to change; to alternate. "The color of the king doth come and go." --Shak. (b) (Mech.) To play backward and forward.
To come at. (a) To reach; to arrive within reach of; to gain; as, to come at a true knowledge of ourselves. (b) To come toward; to attack; as, he came at me with fury.
To come away, to part or depart.
To come between, to intervene; to separate; hence, to cause estrangement.
To come by. (a) To obtain, gain, acquire. "Examine how you came by all your state." --Dryden. (b) To pass near or by way of.
To come down. (a) To descend. (b) To be humbled.
To come down upon, to call to account, to reprimand. [Colloq.] --Dickens.
To come home. (a) To return to one's house or family. (b) To come close; to press closely; to touch the feelings, interest, or reason. (c) (Naut.) To be loosened from the ground; -- said of an anchor.
To come in. (a) To enter, as a town, house, etc. "The thief cometh in." --Hos. vii. 1. (b) To arrive; as, when my ship comes in. (c) To assume official station or duties; as, when Lincoln came in. (d) To comply; to yield; to surrender. "We need not fear his coming in" --Massinger. (e) To be brought into use. "Silken garments did not come in till late." --Arbuthnot. (f) To be added or inserted; to be or become a part of. (g) To accrue as gain from any business or investment. (h) To mature and yield a harvest; as, the crops come in well. (i) To have sexual intercourse; -- with to or unto. --Gen. xxxviii. 16. (j) To have young; to bring forth; as, the cow will come in next May. [U. S.]
To come in for, to claim or receive. "The rest came in for subsidies." --Swift.
To come into, to join with; to take part in; to agree to; to comply with; as, to come into a party or scheme.
To come it over, to hoodwink; to get the advantage of. [Colloq.]
To come near or To come nigh, to approach in place or quality; to be equal to. "Nothing ancient or modern seems to come near it." --Sir W. Temple.
To come of. (a) To descend or spring from. "Of Priam's royal race my mother came." --Dryden. (b) To result or follow from. "This comes of judging by the eye." --L'Estrange.
To come off. (a) To depart or pass off from. (b) To get free; to get away; to escape. (c) To be carried through; to pass off; as, it came off well. (d) To acquit one's self; to issue from (a contest, etc.); as, he came off with honor; hence, substantively, a come-off, an escape; an excuse; an evasion. [Colloq.] (e) To pay over; to give. [Obs.] (f) To take place; to happen; as, when does the race come off? (g) To be or become after some delay; as, the weather came off very fine. (h) To slip off or be taken off, as a garment; to separate. (i) To hurry away; to get through. --Chaucer.
To come off by, to suffer. [Obs.] "To come off by the worst." --Calamy.
To come off from, to leave. "To come off from these grave disquisitions." --Felton.
To come on. (a) To advance; to make progress; to thrive. (b) To move forward; to approach; to supervene.
To come out. (a) To pass out or depart, as from a country, room, company, etc. "They shall come out with great substance." --Gen. xv. 14. (b) To become public; to appear; to be published. "It is indeed come out at last." --Bp. Stillingfleet. (c) To end; to result; to turn out; as, how will this affair come out? he has come out well at last. (d) To be introduced into society; as, she came out two seasons ago. (e) To appear; to show itself; as, the sun came out. (f) To take sides; to announce a position publicly; as, he came out against the tariff. (g) To publicly admit oneself to be homosexual.
To come out with, to give publicity to; to disclose.
To come over. (a) To pass from one side or place to another. "Perpetually teasing their friends to come over to them." --Addison. (b) To rise and pass over, in distillation.
To come over to, to join.
To come round. (a) To recur in regular course. (b) To recover. [Colloq.] (c) To change, as the wind. (d) To relent. --J. H. Newman. (e) To circumvent; to wheedle. [Colloq.]
To come short, to be deficient; to fail of attaining. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." --Rom. iii. 23.
To come to. (a) To consent or yield. --Swift. (b) (Naut.) (with the accent on to) To luff; to bring the ship's head nearer the wind; to anchor. (c) (with the accent on to) To recover, as from a swoon. (d) To arrive at; to reach. (e) To amount to; as, the taxes come to a large sum. (f) To fall to; to be received by, as an inheritance. --Shak.
To come to blows. See under Blow.
To come to grief. See under Grief.
To come to a head. (a) To suppurate, as a boil. (b) To mature; to culminate; as a plot.
To come to one's self, to recover one's senses.
To come to pass, to happen; to fall out.
To come to the scratch. (a) (Prize Fighting) To step up to the scratch or mark made in the ring to be toed by the combatants in beginning a contest; hence: (b) To meet an antagonist or a difficulty bravely. [Colloq.]
To come to time. (a) (Prize Fighting) To come forward in order to resume the contest when the interval allowed for rest is over and "time" is called; hence: (b) To keep an appointment; to meet expectations. [Colloq.]
To come together. (a) To meet for business, worship, etc.; to assemble. --Acts i. 6. (b) To live together as man and wife. --Matt. i. 18.
To come true, to happen as predicted or expected.
To come under, to belong to, as an individual to a class.
To come up (a) to ascend; to rise. (b) To be brought up; to arise, as a question. (c) To spring; to shoot or rise above the earth, as a plant. (d) To come into use, as a fashion.
To come up the capstan (Naut.), to turn it the contrary way, so as to slacken the rope about it.
To come up the tackle fall (Naut.), to slacken the tackle gently. --Totten.
To come up to, to rise to; to equal.
To come up with, to overtake or reach by pursuit.
To come upon. (a) To befall. (b) To attack or invade. (c) To have a claim upon; to become dependent upon for support; as, to come upon the town. (d) To light or chance upon; to find; as, to come upon hid treasure. [1913 Webster]

'To come by' definitions:

Definition of 'To come by'

Definition of 'To come by'

Words containing 'To come by'