To find or encounter something or someone by chance, or to overtake someone suddenly.
To discover or find something when you weren't looking for it.
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
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)
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."
To move and arrive at the top of something.
To discover or find something when you weren't looking for it.
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'.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "come upon" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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