Phrasal verb
Come up with
What does 'come up with' mean?
'Come up with' means to think of or suggest an idea, plan, explanation, or solution. It also means to succeed in finding, providing, or producing something that is needed, such as money, supplies, or equipment.
Key points
- Use 'come up with' when proposing ideas or supplying necessary resources.
- Keep all three words together, place pronouns and nouns at the end, and change only the first word for past and perfect tenses.
- 'Come up with' is an inseparable three-word phrasal verb.
This lesson has 5 stages. You can stop at any time and continue later.
Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
Examples
Can anyone come up with a better name for our community group?
Why it works: The speaker asks members to think of and suggest an original name.
2 more examples
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We managed to come up with enough folding chairs for all thirty guests.
The hosts succeeded in finding and providing a needed physical resource.
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Our department has come up with a simple way to track monthly expenses.
The team has developed a practical solution relevant to current operations.
Read the full guide
Decide when to use 'come up with' for ideas
When you need an idea, an answer, or a solution to a problem, you use the three-word phrase 'come up with'. The expression does not describe physical movement. Nobody is walking up stairs or rising from a chair. Instead, it describes mental production. You can come up with a plan, a name, a suggestion, or an excuse. The idea does not need to be completely new to the world; it only needs to be suggested for the situation at hand. Furthermore, while the phrase often implies effort or problem-solving, someone can also come up with an idea immediately.
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Our marketing team came up with a memorable name for the project.
Why it works: The team thought of and suggested a suitable project name.
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Can you come up with a faster route to avoid traffic?
Why it works: The speaker asks the driver to suggest an alternative way to travel.
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He came up with a plausible excuse for his late arrival.
Why it works: He produced an explanation for why he arrived after the meeting began.
Your turn
Which sentence uses 'come up with' to express thinking of a solution?
Answer: Sarah came up with a practical method to organize the files.
Show the answer
Answer: Sarah came up with a practical method to organize the files.
The second sentence describes producing a helpful organizing idea, whereas the others describe physical movement or sound.
Use 'come up with' when you must provide resources
In addition to mental concepts, 'come up with' describes managing to find, provide, or supply something necessary. You will frequently hear this meaning with money, equipment, furniture, or tickets. Coming up with money does not mean inventing cash or simply earning normal wages. Rather, it means gathering or producing the required funds so an activity can proceed. If your department needs five extra laptops or enough chairs for visiting guests, someone must manage to obtain them. This usage highlights the practical responsibility of supplying what is missing before a deadline.
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We need to come up with three more tables before the dinner begins.
Why it works: The organizers must manage to locate and provide the necessary furniture.
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The committee came up with the remaining funds through donations.
Why it works: The members succeeded in obtaining the required money.
This also comes up in Pick up and Face up to something.
Your turn
What does 'The club came up with the money for rent' mean?
Answer: The club managed to provide or obtain the necessary rent funds.
Show the answer
Answer: The club managed to provide or obtain the necessary rent funds.
In this context, coming up with money means obtaining or supplying the funds needed to pay rent.
Place the noun or pronoun after the full phrase
The phrase 'come up with' follows a fixed grammatical pattern: subject plus 'come up with' plus the noun or pronoun. In plain English, these three words form an inseparable unit. You cannot place the object between the words. Even when the object is a short pronoun such as 'it', 'them', or 'this', the pronoun must stay at the end. You say 'I came up with it', never 'I came it up with' or 'I came up it with'. Keeping the full phrase intact prevents confusion and ensures your sentences sound natural.
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We reviewed several proposals until Daniel came up with this.
Why it works: The pronoun 'this' correctly follows the entire phrase.
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Whenever a schedule conflict arises, Maria comes up with a solution.
Why it works: The noun phrase 'a solution' stands directly after 'with'.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly places the pronoun after the phrase?
Answer: We had an obstacle, but Carlos came up with it.
Show the answer
Answer: We had an obstacle, but Carlos came up with it.
The phrase 'come up with' is inseparable, so the pronoun 'it' must follow 'with'.
Select the correct form across different tenses
When you adapt 'come up with' for different tenses, only the first word changes form. The particles 'up' and 'with' remain identical in every structure. For the past simple, use 'came up with'. For the present perfect, pair 'have' or 'has' with the past participle 'come up with'. When you form questions or negative statements with helping verbs such as 'did', 'didn't', or modal verbs such as 'can', always keep the base form 'come'. Saying 'did you came' or 'we didn't came' is a frequent grammatical mistake that you should avoid.
| Form | Example Sentence | Grammar Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | She comes up with ideas. | Add -s for third-person singular. |
| Past simple | They came up with a plan. | Use 'came', never 'comed'. |
| Present perfect | We have come up with funds. | Use 'have/has come', never 'have came'. |
| Questions & negatives | Did you come up with it? | Use base form 'come' after 'did' or modals. |
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Can you come up with a plan before the morning briefing?
Why it works: After the modal verb 'can', use the base form 'come'.
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Did you come up with anything useful during your research?
Why it works: After the auxiliary 'did', the base form 'come' is required.
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We didn't come up with a solution until late Friday evening.
Why it works: After 'didn't', keep 'come' rather than shifting to 'came'.
Your turn
Which question uses the correct verb form after 'did'?
Answer: Did your team come up with an answer?
Show the answer
Answer: Did your team come up with an answer?
The auxiliary verb 'did' requires the base form 'come', not the past form 'came' or invented forms like 'comed'.
Suggest replacement activities in conversation and work
Imagine that heavy rain cancels your weekend picnic, leaving your friends disappointed and waiting for another idea. You can step forward and ask, 'Can anyone come up with something we can do indoors?' This question acknowledges the cancellation and invites practical suggestions. In casual conversation and ordinary workplace meetings, 'come up with' is the standard phrase for finding solutions. In more formal executive reports, writers often choose verbs like 'propose', 'develop', or 'provide'. Notice also the distinction between 'come up' and 'come up with': if an unexpected issue appears, you say 'a problem came up'; when someone invents a response, you say 'she came up with a solution'. To practice changing arrangements, explore /micro-listenings/1-2/ and /grammar/future-plans/, or review /micro-listenings/5-2/ for weather-dependent plans.
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An unexpected budget cut came up yesterday, but our manager came up with a revised schedule.
Why it works: 'Came up' describes an issue appearing, while 'came up with' describes creating a solution.
Your turn
What is the difference between 'a problem came up' and 'we came up with a problem'?
Answer: 'A problem came up' means an issue appeared, while 'we came up with a problem' implies we produced or thought of one.
Show the answer
Answer: 'A problem came up' means an issue appeared, while 'we came up with a problem' implies we produced or thought of one.
'Come up' without 'with' indicates that an event arose, whereas 'come up with' requires a subject producing an object.
Notice connected speech sounds in fast delivery
When native speakers talk at a normal pace, the three words in 'come up with' link together smoothly. The final consonant sound /m/ in 'come' connects directly into the vowel of 'up', creating the spoken sound /kʌmʌp/. In addition, you must distinguish the short vowel sound in 'come' /ʌ/ from the diphthong in the past form 'came' /eɪ/. The final word 'with' is often spoken lightly with an unreleased consonant. Even though the three words sound like one single continuous unit, you must always write each word distinctly in your sentences.
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They come up with new recipes every week.
Why it works: Notice the smooth link between /m/ and /ʌ/, and the short present vowel sound in 'come'.
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They came up with eight proposals before noon.
Why it works: Notice the clear diphthong /eɪ/ in 'came', which signals the past tense.
Your turn
How do the words 'come' and 'up' sound in connected spoken English?
Answer: The final consonant /m/ links into the vowel, sounding like /kʌmʌp/.
Show the answer
Answer: The final consonant /m/ links into the vowel, sounding like /kʌmʌp/.
In fluent speech, the final consonant of 'come' joins naturally with the initial vowel of 'up'.
Avoid common grammar and word order slips
Learners make several predictable mistakes with this expression. The first error is omitting 'with', producing broken sentences such as 'he came up a plan'. The second mistake is splitting the phrase by placing a noun or pronoun in the middle, as in 'we came it up with'. The third mistake involves irregular verb forms: creating non-existent past forms like 'comed up with', using 'have came' instead of 'have come', or using 'didn't came' after an auxiliary verb. Paying careful attention to these five patterns will keep your speech and writing accurate.
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Incorrect: She came up a brilliant answer. Correct: She came up with a brilliant answer.
Why it works: Always include the preposition 'with' before the object.
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Incorrect: They have came up with five ideas. Correct: They have come up with five ideas.
Why it works: The present perfect requires the participle 'come' after 'have'.
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Incorrect: I didn't came up with anything. Correct: I didn't come up with anything.
Why it works: Auxiliary 'didn't' must be followed by base form 'come'.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly fixes the error in 'He comed up with a plan'?
Answer: He came up with a plan.
Show the answer
Answer: He came up with a plan.
The past simple of 'come' is 'came', and 'with' must remain in the phrase.
Recall the rules and apply them in writing
Before you practice writing your own sentences, review the essential rules without looking at your notes. Remember both meanings: producing an idea or solution, and supplying a required resource such as money. Keep the phrase inseparable by placing all objects and pronouns directly after 'with'. Remember that 'came' marks the past simple, while 'have come' marks the present perfect. Now you will apply these rules in three original communication tasks: suggesting an indoor activity when a picnic is cancelled, describing how you resolved a personal or workplace problem, and organizing needed resources for a community event.
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After the rain started, we came up with a board game session at home.
Why it works: Demonstrates the idea meaning used for replacement plans.
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Our club must come up with eighty dollars for printing costs.
Why it works: Demonstrates the resource meaning used for providing required funds.
Your turn
What must you remember about the position of the pronoun in 'come up with it'?
Answer: The pronoun must always follow 'with' because the phrase is inseparable.
Show the answer
Answer: The pronoun must always follow 'with' because the phrase is inseparable.
Because 'come up with' is an inseparable phrasal verb, pronouns like 'it' cannot split the words.
Questions about "Come up with"
What does 'come up with' mean?
'Come up with' has two primary uses in everyday English. First, it means to think of or suggest an idea, plan, solution, or name. Second, it means to manage to find or provide something required, especially money, equipment, or supplies. It does not refer to physical upward movement.
She came up with a brilliant name for the newsletter.
We must come up with three more laptops before Monday.
Can I say 'come up with it'?
Yes, 'come up with it' is completely correct. The phrase is inseparable, meaning the noun or pronoun always follows 'with'. You should never separate the words by putting a pronoun in the middle. Phrases like 'come it up with' or 'come up it with' are incorrect in English.
I needed an answer, and finally I came up with it.
If you have a solution, come up with it before the meeting starts.
Is the past form 'came up with' or 'comed up with'?
The past form is always 'came up with'. The verb 'come' is irregular, so its past simple form is 'came', never 'comed'. Only the first word in the three-word phrase changes form to reflect past tense, while 'up' and 'with' stay unchanged.
Yesterday, our supervisor came up with a clever schedule.
They came up with the solution after a short discussion.
Should I say 'have come up with' or 'have came up with'?
You should always say 'have come up with'. In the present perfect tense, the helping verb 'have' or 'has' requires the past participle. For the irregular verb 'come', the past participle is 'come', identical to the base form. 'Came' is only used for the past simple without auxiliary verbs.
Our engineering team has come up with a safer process.
Have you come up with any new proposals yet?
Does 'come up with money' mean earn it?
No, 'come up with money' does not usually mean earning wages through regular work. It means managing to produce, gather, or supply the funds needed for a specific expense, such as through savings, loans, pooled contributions, or quick budget adjustments.
The club members came up with enough money to repair the roof.
Can the organization come up with the deposit by Friday?
What is the difference between 'come up' and 'come up with'?
'Come up' means that an event, topic, or unexpected issue appeared or arose, usually without a direct object. In contrast, 'come up with' requires an object and indicates that someone actively thought of an idea or produced a required resource.
An urgent problem came up during the morning shift.
Our supervisor came up with a quick workaround to resolve it.
Before you go
Remember this
Use 'come up with' when proposing ideas or supplying necessary resources. Keep all three words together, place pronouns and nouns at the end, and change only the first word for past and perfect tenses.
Stage 2 of 5
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- We managed to come up with enough folding chairs for all thirty guests.
- Our department has come up with a simple way to track monthly expenses.
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- We managed to come up with enough folding chairs for all thirty guests.
- Our department has come up with a simple way to track monthly expenses.
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- We managed to come up with enough folding chairs for all thirty guests.
- Our department has come up with a simple way to track monthly expenses.
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- We managed to come up with enough folding chairs for all thirty guests.
- Our department has come up with a simple way to track monthly expenses.
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Describe an occasion when bad weather or an unexpected delay forced your group to change plans, and explain what alternative activity you came up with.
Use: come up with
You could start with “When our outdoor plan was cancelled, I came up with…”
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