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to come upon
[phrase form: come]
01
to encounter someone or something unexpectedly
Grammatical Information
Composition
phrasal
action verb
regular
inseparable
particle
upon
base verb
come
present tense
come upon
3rd person singular
comes upon
present participle
coming upon
past simple
came upon
past participle
come upon
Examples
As I was cleaning the attic, I came upon a dusty old trunk filled with family photographs.
02
(of a particular attitude or emotion) to start to influence an individual
Examples
As the day progressed, a sense of unease came upon her, making it difficult to focus on her work.
03
(particularly of something unfortunate or unexpected) to happen to someone
Examples
Unforeseen financial troubles came upon him when he lost his job unexpectedly.
04
to suddenly and unexpectedly attack a person or thing
Examples
As night fell, the enemy troops came upon the unsuspecting camp, launching a surprise attack.
