12 Idioms and Expressions with COME

12 Idioms and Expressions with COME (with Meanings & Real Examples)

The verb come is one of the most common and useful verbs in English. But in real life, it rarely appears alone.

It appears inside idioms and fixed expressions — and these expressions are everywhere in everyday conversation, films, books, and even formal writing.

If you want to sound more natural, more confident, and more like a real speaker, these are exactly the kinds of phrases you need.

In this lesson, you’ll learn 12 very common and useful idioms and expressions with COME, all with clear meanings and natural examples. They are perfect for B2–C1 learners, speaking exams, writing tasks, and everyday English.

Let’s dive in.

Be as good / rich / fast as they come

Meaning: extremely good, rich, fast, etc. (one of the best examples possible)

• The new architect is as good as they come.
• Ferrari is as fast as they come.
• He’s generous too — but he’s also as rich as they come.

Come a long way

Meaning: to improve a lot or develop greatly

• Mobile phones have come a long way in the last twenty years.
• Your English has come a long way since last year.

Come clean

Meaning: to admit the truth; to be completely honest

• You should come clean and tell her what really happened.
• He finally came clean about the money.

Come in handy

Meaning: to be useful, especially unexpectedly

• Keep those boxes — they might come in handy one day.
• This app really came in handy on our trip.

Come to think of it

Meaning: used when you suddenly remember or realise something

• Come to think of it, we haven’t seen Mark all day.
• It’s strange — come to think of it, she never answered my message.

Come up in the world

Meaning: to become richer or more successful

• Paul has really come up in the world — he lives in a villa now.
• They started with nothing and slowly came up in the world.

For years to come

Meaning: for a long time into the future

• People will talk about that match for years to come.
• This decision will affect the company for years to come.

Get / have what’s coming to you

Meaning: to receive the punishment or reward you deserve (often punishment)

• If he keeps lying, he’ll get what’s coming to him.
• She finally got what was coming to her after cheating everyone.

I don’t know where you’re coming from

Meaning: I don’t understand your opinion or way of thinking

• I don’t know where you’re coming from — that idea makes no sense to me.
• Sorry, I really don’t see your point. I don’t know where you’re coming from.

Not come cheap

Meaning: to be expensive (but usually good quality)

• This watch didn’t come cheap, but it’s worth it.
• Good speakers don’t come cheap.

Take each day as it comes

Meaning: to deal with life day by day without worrying too much about the future

• After his operation, he learned to take each day as it comes.
• Try not to stress — just take each day as it comes.

When it comes to…

Meaning: used to introduce a particular topic

• When it comes to cooking, she’s a real expert.
• He’s very confident when it comes to public speaking.

How to learn these expressions properly

Don’t just memorise them. Try to:

• Use 2–3 of them in a short story about your life
• Notice them in films, series, and articles
• Replace simple phrases with them:

  very good → as good as they come

  improved a lot → come a long way

  useful → come in handy

That’s how they become your English, not just vocabulary on a page. Idioms like these are not decoration. They are the engine of natural English.

And once you start using them, your English doesn’t just become correct — it becomes richer, more fluent, and more convincing.

And when it comes to sounding natural… these expressions are as good as they come. 😉

Learn 100 everyday English idioms and download the PDF here

or visit our bookshop