COME UPON

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does come upon mean? 

• COME UPON (verb)
  The verb COME UPON has 2 senses:

1. find unexpectedly

2. take possession of

  Familiarity information: COME UPON used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COME UPON (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Find unexpectedly

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

attain; chance on; chance upon; come across; come upon; discover; fall upon; happen upon; light upon; strike

Context example:

The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake

Hypernyms (to "come upon" is one way to...):

find; regain (come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Take possession of

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

come upon; enter upon; luck into

Context example:

She entered upon the estate of her rich relatives

Hypernyms (to "come upon" is one way to...):

acquire; get (come into the possession of something concrete or abstract)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s something from somebody

 Context examples 

I could not see that in either case Holmes had come upon the clue for which he was searching.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

In an instant it was obvious that we had at last come upon the true place, and that we had not been the only people to visit the spot recently.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

But the queen was against his going, and said, “I know well that misfortunes will come upon us if you go.”

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

But, dear me! what an observant young lady we have come upon.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

But now the shock which had come upon him was so great that he could only stand with white cheeks and staring, incredulous eyes.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Holy father, said he, he would come upon those parts of France which are held by the King's Majesty.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Perhaps we shall come upon some other indications as we proceed.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“You come upon me,” he said, almost angrily, “like a reproachful ghost!”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I remember how on our wedding-day he said: "Unless some solemn duty come upon me to go back to the bitter hours, asleep or awake, mad or sane."

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

In the morning we come upon the last-night camp of the man who is before us. It is a poor camp, the kind a man makes who is hungry and without strength.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)