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come at

B1 neutral inseparable transitive
In simple words

To suddenly move toward someone to attack them; or to think about a problem in a certain way.

Literal meaning: Transparent in the physical sense: to come toward a person or thing.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To move toward someone in a threatening or aggressive way; to attack.

"The dog came at me suddenly as I walked past the gate."

Grammar: inseparable
2 B2 idiomatic neutral

To approach or consider a problem, question, or topic from a specific angle or perspective.

"Let's come at this issue from a completely different angle and see if that helps."

Grammar: inseparable
3 C1 idiomatic informal

(Usually in 'what are you coming at?', dialectal) To mean or imply something.

"I'm not sure what you're coming at — can you be more direct?"

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

The attack sense is very common and vivid ('he came at me with a knife'). The 'approach a problem' sense is common in academic and professional speech ('let's come at this from a different angle'). Both senses are important for B1–B2 learners.

Commonly used with

knife fists different angle problem issue question

Forms

Base
come at
I/you/we/they
3rd person
comes at
he/she/it
Past simple
came at
yesterday
Past participle
come at
have + pp
-ing form
coming at
continuous

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