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come for

B1 neutral inseparable transitive

to arrive in order to get, collect, attack, or seek something or someone

In plain English

to come because you want someone or something

What does "come for" mean?

2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.

1 B1 neutral

to arrive in order to collect or get someone or something

"I'm coming for the documents at noon."

inseparable
2 B2 idiomatic informal

to seek to harm, punish, or challenge someone

"He warned them that his lawyers would come for anyone who lied."

Winter is coming.

— Game of Thrones (recurring line; related but not exact phrase)
inseparable

Literal vs figurative

Words literally mean

to move toward a place for a purpose

Actually means

to come because you want someone or something

Usage tip

Meaning depends strongly on context. It can be neutral ('come for the package') or threatening ('come for you').

Words that pair with "come for"

Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.

me you the children the package help revenge

How to conjugate "come for"

The five tense forms you'll use most often.

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

Hear "come for" in the wild

Listen to native speakers using "come for" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.

Other ways to say "come for"

Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.

collect fetch go after pick up pursue target

Keep exploring

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