come(s) across (as)
Meaning(s)
1. encounter someone/something unexpectedly, be viewed in a particular way by others
Popularity
High
Professional
High
Social
How to Memorize
come across something unexpectedly/come across as being quite rude
Analysis
The phrasal verb to come across has a number of meetings. If you come across someone or come across something it can mean to encounter someone or to discover something by chance. If you say that someone comes across as, for example, angry or helpful, it means that you form an opinion about them or view them in a particular way based on how they behave and present themselves. When you speak the way your idea is received by others can be how you come across. So for example, if you are presenting an idea, someone listening to you speak might say that you came across as very knowledgeable or that you came across as very enthusiastic.
Social Examples (Basic)
- As I was walking home yesterday, I came across a group of children playing football in the street.
- Due to his surly demeanour, Peter can sometimes come across as being quite rude, but he's actually a very nice guy when you get to know him.
Professional Examples (Basic)
- We've come across a few issues while migrating the data, so we will need to bring in someone from the IT Department to resolve them.
- Jennifer's speech at the conference was excellent. I thought she came across as an intelligent, forward thinking young woman.