From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcome up phrasal verb1 MOVE NEARNEARif someone comes up to you, they come close to you, especially in order to speak to you One of the teachers came up and started talking to me. to A man came up to him and asked for a light.2 TRAVEL NORTHTRAVELif someone comes up to a place, they travel north to the place where you are to Why don’t you come up to New York for the weekend?3 APPEAR OR HAPPENif a subject comes up, people mention it and discuss it SYN arise His name came up in the conversation. The subject of salaries didn’t come up.4 PROBLEMHAPPENif a problem or difficulty comes up, it appears or starts to affect you SYN arise I’m afraid I’ll have to cancel our date – something’s come up. The same problems come up every time.5 if a job or an opportunity comes up, it becomes available A vacancy has come up in the accounts department. 6 to be dealt with in a law court Your case comes up next week.7 be coming up to be going to happen soon With Christmas coming up, few people have much money to spare.8 SUN/MOONif the sun or moon comes up, it moves up into the sky where you can see it SYN rise It was six o'clock, and the sun was just coming up.9 if a plant comes up, it begins to appear above the ground The first spring bulbs are just coming up.10 if food comes up, it goes back through your mouth from your stomach after being swallowed → vomit11 coming (right) up! spokenREADY used to say that food or drink will be ready very soon ‘Two Martinis, please.’ ‘Coming up!’ → come→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
come up• There are job vacancies from time to time. I'll let you know if anything comes up.• The sun was coming up and you could just see the tops of the mountains.• He rang to say he would be late home -- something had come up at the office.• When the opportunity to go to the States came up, Dora took it at once.• The moon came up slowly over the pine trees.• The weeds keep coming up year after year.• I sowed lots of poppies, but they haven't come up yet.come to• Girls did not come up to him and nuzzle him.• Or else the very following things will happen: This kid came up to me and gave me a hug good night.• Total strangers used to come up to me and tell me how much they'd enjoyed the show.• An old guy come up to me in the street and asked for a dime for coffee.• One of the reserves came up to me.• Freddie's been growing so fast - he already comes up to my shoulder.• In the shallow end of the pool, the water comes up to my waist.• If Marge did come up to Rome suddenly, Tom had a lot of his own clothing hanging ready in the closet.• Marge would very likely come up to Rome.• When Southern blacks first came up to the North, it was conventional for other blacks to take them in.• A period when he was almost dead is coming up to the surface.• When we came up to the Trowbridge house, I knew Charlie was watching us from one of the windows.come to• Girls did not come up to him and nuzzle him.• Or else the very following things will happen: This kid came up to me and gave me a hug good night.• One of the reserves came up to me.• If Marge did come up to Rome suddenly, Tom had a lot of his own clothing hanging ready in the closet.• Marge would very likely come up to Rome.• When Southern blacks first came up to the North, it was conventional for other blacks to take them in.• A period when he was almost dead is coming up to the surface.• When we came up to the Trowbridge house, I knew Charlie was watching us from one of the windows.something’s come up• I was going to go down and take him, but - well, something's come up and I can't.be coming up• Alison's birthday is coming up.• Don't forget you've got exams coming up in a couple of weeks' time.• Don't forget you have a test coming up on Thursday.• I'm pretty busy right now -- I have exams coming up next week.• With Christmas coming up, we didn't have much spare money.• Gripping the over head chrome rail, he stooped forward as if to see what street was coming up.• Our 12th annual Folk Festival is coming up again soon.• The wind was coming up and there was weather to port. ` Sailing is the perfect antidote for age, Reyes.• The sun was coming up as we drove away from Sobey's.• Some faces shone white in the moonlight that was coming up behind a copse.• Evidently the emergency unit was coming up First, right at us.• Shops were coming up for sale all over the precinct.• The sun was coming up, or had already come up, and the heavy mists wore a pearlescent glow.• When I got out of prison again I went to a hostel in Manchester and he was coming up there all the time. 