come
(verb)
past tense: came
LISTEN
"Come in!"
If you come somewhere, it means that you move near to something or someone.
- Come here and sit next to me.
If you come over, it means that you visit someone at their house.
- Come over at 7pm and I’ll make us some dinner.
Common uses
When someone is at our door, and we want them to know that they can go inside, we often say, “Come in!” For example, “It’s so nice to see you! Come in!”
When we want someone to do something faster, we sometimes say, “Come on!” For example, “Come on, or the train will leave without us!” Or we can also say it when we want someone to do something, but they aren’t sure about it. For example: “I don’t think I should go out tonight.” “Come on, it’ll be fun!”
In pop culture
Do you know the song “Come On Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners? It’s about a man who wants an old friend to become his girlfriend. But Eileen isn’t sure that she wants that. When he says, “Come on,” he means ‘please.’ In the video for the song, everyone is wearing the same clothes. Do you know what these clothes are called in English?
There are other meanings of come.
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