come upon
B2 formal inseparable transitive
In simple words
To discover or find something when you weren't looking for it.
Literal meaning: To move and arrive at the top of something.
Meanings
1 B2 formal
To find or encounter someone or something by chance, without having searched for it.
"While clearing out the attic, she came upon a box of her grandmother's old letters."
"I came upon a great truth."
— Henry David Thoreau, 'Walden' (paraphrased; Thoreau uses such constructions throughout)
Grammar: inseparable
2 C1
idiomatic
formal
Of a feeling or state: to affect someone suddenly and unexpectedly.
"A sudden wave of sadness came upon him as he walked past his old school."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
More common in written, literary, or formal English than in everyday speech. In conversation, 'come across' or 'stumble upon' are preferred. Also used in older or more formal writing to mean 'to attack or approach suddenly'.
Commonly used with
scene village solution letter ruin stranger
Forms
Base
come upon
I/you/we/they
3rd person
comes upon
he/she/it
Past simple
came upon
yesterday
Past participle
come upon
have + pp
-ing form
coming upon
continuous
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