come upon
Britishverb
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(intr, preposition) to meet or encounter unexpectedly
I came upon an old friend in the street today
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see come across, def. 1; come on, def. 3.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It is from contrary opinions,” Mr. Brown writes, “that we often come upon insight, balance, and unexpected perspective.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025
He added that he has "an awful lot of sympathy for the staff members who would have had to come upon that scene and how distressing that must have been".
From BBC • Nov. 28, 2025
Keep in mind: These lessons can apply to almost anybody who has come upon a significant sum — say, through an inheritance or by selling a business.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 12, 2025
Even if you’ve never heard of Arcadia Publishing, you’ve undoubtedly come upon their books at some point—displayed in a gift shop kiosk, stocked in an airport bookstore or neighborhood library, or even at a CVS.
From Slate • Nov. 3, 2025
In the first moments after they had recognized the poor creature under the hemlock, Hazel and Dandelion felt completely stupefied, as though they had come upon a squirrel underground or a stream that flowed uphill.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.