Come down with

Phrasal Verbs | B1

Examples and explanation

We use the phrasal verb to come down with something to mean to become ill/unwell. 

We only really use this phrasal verb for small/non-serious illnesses, e.g. a cold or the flu. Don’t use it to talk about something serious.

Instead of specifying the illness (e.g a cold), it is common to just say something – this is because we don’t feel very well, but we don’t know what is causing it. e.g. I feel like I might be coming down with something – I hope it isn’t that cough that Jessica had last week.

Have a go at these micro-dictation exercises to hear this expression being used in context – how much can you understand?

Accent: North America