Come back meaning
Come back means to return to the place where you are or the speaker is. It can also mean to become popular or fashionable again.
come back
come back · came · come · coming
When are you coming back from London?
Come back meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Return to the place where you are or the speaker is
come back
- When are you coming back from London?
- Wait here. I’ll come back in five minutes.
- He left in May and never came back.
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2
Become popular or fashionable again
come back
- Wide jeans have come back into fashion.
- Do you think vinyl records will come back?
- Some styles always come back in the end.
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3
Be remembered again
come back
- Her name will come back to me in a minute.
- It’s all coming back to me now.
- When I saw the old school, the memories came back.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use come back in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is come back separable?
Come back has no object. Add to before the place or person: come back to London, come back to me. Home needs no to: come back home.
The noun is a comeback, one word: The band made a comeback after ten years.
Verb tenses for come back
| Present | I come back · she comes back |
|---|---|
| Past | came back |
| Present perfect | have come back |
| -ing form | coming back |
Common mistakes with come back
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: When will you come back to home?
Right: When will you come back home?
No to before home.
Wrong: He came back me the book.
Right: He gave me the book back.
Come back has no object. For returning a thing, use give back.
Wrong: I’ll return back on Monday.
Right: I’ll come back on Monday.
Return already means come back.
Synonyms and opposites of come back
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- go backreturn, seen from somewhere else
- get backarrive home again
- returnthe formal word
Opposite
- go awayleave a place for a while
- leavego away from a place
Come back quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1I forgot my wallet. I’ll ___ in a minute!
Come back means return.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Say come back home, with no to.
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3“It’s all coming back to me now,” says Leo. What is happening?
When something comes back to you, you remember it.
More phrasal verbs with come
All phrasal verbs with come, by level, with an exercise
15 phrasal verbs start with come. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
- come fromA1be born in, or live in, a place
- come inA2enter a room or building, towards the speaker
- come downA2move down to a lower place, towards the speaker
- come up withB1think of an idea, a plan or an answer
- come outB1become available to buy, watch or read, like a book or film
- come overB1visit someone at their home
- come onB1tell someone to hurry or to try harder
- come aroundB1visit someone at their home
- come alongB1go somewhere with someone
- come offB1become separated from the thing it was fixed to
- come acrossB2find or meet something or someone by chance
- come upB2be mentioned or talked about
- come apartC2break into pieces
- come throughC2arrive or be officially approved, like a visa or results
Come back FAQ
Questions people ask about come back.
What is the difference between come back and go back?
Use come back for a return to where you or the listener are: Come back soon! Use go back for a return to somewhere else: I want to go back to Japan.
What does come back to bite you mean?
If something comes back to bite you, a past mistake causes problems later: Lies always come back to bite you.
What is the past tense of come back?
Came back. The past participle is come back, not came: She has come back from Rome.
Use come back in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.