how come
English meaning: How come
Definition
An informal way to ask why something happened.
Example
“How come you didn't tell me about the change of plan?”
Another example: “How come you never told me about the surprise party?”
Usage — When, Where & How
An informal phrase, especially common in American English, used to ask why something happened. Note it is followed by normal statement word order ('How come you left?'), unlike 'why'.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
A shortening of 'how does it come that', recorded from the 18th century.
Synonyms
Related Words
Common Collocations
- how come
- how come you
- how come it
- how come we
- how come they
Word Forms
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Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B