come up with

phraseB2Not compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To come up with something is to think of a new idea or a solution. It was not there, and now it is.

It is a three-part phrasal verb and the whole thing stays together. It covers ideas, plans, excuses and money, so being asked to come up with a deposit is a demand rather than an invitation to be creative. The phrase is much warmer than invent or devise, which is why brainstorming sessions use it constantly. There is a faint suggestion of quickness, since coming up with something happens on the spot.

Definitions of come up with

1phrasecome up withTo produce an idea, plan or solution.B2
“Somebody will have to come up with a better answer than that.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 9 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

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come up with

phraseB2Not compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To come up with something is to think of a new idea or a solution. It was not there, and now it is.

Definitions of come up with

1phrasecome up withTo produce an idea, plan or solution.B2
“Somebody will have to come up with a better answer than that.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 9 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word