1 A2 neutral
To visit someone at their home.
"Why don't you come around for dinner on Saturday?"
inseparable
come around
B1 neutral intransitive
To visit someone; to regain consciousness; to change one's opinion over time; or for a scheduled event to arrive.
In plain English
To visit someone; to wake up after being unconscious; to start agreeing with someone after first disagreeing; or for something to happen again.
What does "come around" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic neutral
To regain consciousness after fainting or being anaesthetised.
"The patient came around an hour after the surgery was completed."
inseparable
3 B1 idiomatic neutral
To change one's opinion and come to agree with a view one had previously opposed.
"He was against the proposal at first, but he came around when he saw the data."
inseparable
4 B1 idiomatic neutral
For a recurring event or time of year to arrive again.
"It's hard to believe the exam season has come around again so quickly."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To travel around and arrive — transparent for the visiting sense.
Actually means
To visit someone; to wake up after being unconscious; to start agreeing with someone after first disagreeing; or for something to happen again.
Usage tip
'Come around' is the American English spelling; 'come round' is British. Both forms are globally understood. The 'change of opinion' sense is particularly important for B1+ learners. The 'recurring event' sense appears in phrases like 'Christmas will come around again'.
Words that pair with "come around"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
idea view opinion eventually slowly Christmas time
How to conjugate "come around"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
come around
I/you/we/they
3rd person
comes around
he/she/it
Past simple
came around
yesterday
Past participle
come around
have + pp
-ing form
coming around
continuous
Hear "come around" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "come around" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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