What does "come up with" mean?
What it means: To think of, produce, or find - especially an idea, plan, solution, or excuse."Who came up with that idea?""We need to come up with a solution by Friday.""She came up with a great excuse.""I can't come up with anything better."What it implies: Some mental effort or creativity was i...
What it means
To think of, produce, or find - especially an idea, plan, solution, or excuse.
"Who came up with that idea?"
"We need to come up with a solution by Friday."
"She came up with a great excuse."
"I can't come up with anything better."
What it implies
Some mental effort or creativity was involved. It's not just receiving an idea - you generated it.
Not separable
The three parts stay together:
"Come up with a plan." β / "Come a plan up with." β
Common contexts
Brainstorming, problem-solving, creative work:
"The team came up with ten new campaign concepts."
"He came up with the whole product idea in the shower."
A native would say
- "Think of" - "Can you think of a better name?"
- "Devise" - formal: "We need to devise a strategy."
- "Dream up" - creative/informal: "She dreamed up the whole concept."
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Casual to professional. Very common in meetings and brainstorming sessions.
What does "come up with" mean?
To think of, produce, or find - especially an idea, plan, solution, or excuse.
"Who came up with that idea?"
"We need to come up with a solution by Friday."
"She came up with a great excuse."
"I can't come up with anything better."
Is "come up with" formal or informal?
Casual to professional. Very common in meetings and brainstorming sessions.
What's another way to say "come up with"?
- "Think of" - "Can you think of a better name?"
- "Devise" - formal: "We need to devise a strategy."
- "Dream up" - creative/informal: "She dreamed up the whole concept."
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