AAAmerican Accent US

come back

No object

This verb takes no object at all.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: come BACK. Saying “COME back” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

No pause between the words. /m/ runs straight into /b/ — “come back” is one rhythmic unit with a single stressed beat on the particle.

Verb vs noun

As a noun the stress flips to the front: the verb is come BACK, the noun is COMEBACK. Same two words, different beat — “to come BACK” is the action, “a comeback” is the thing. Getting this backwards makes the sentence land oddly even when every sound is right.

2 meanings

  1. 1

    To return to a place.

    • “Come back when you've had a chance to think it over.”
    • “He came back from Japan with a completely different outlook.”

    Similar: return

  2. 2

    (Of a memory) to return to your mind.

    • “It's coming back to me now — we met at the conference.”

The particle logic

back

Something returns to where it was, or is held in reserve.

Listen + practice

Hear “come back” spoken naturally

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More COME phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

come across

To find or meet something by chance.

come up with

To produce or invent an idea or solution.

come up

(Of a topic or problem) to arise.

come down with

To start to have an illness, usually a minor one.

come over

To visit someone's home.

come out

To become known or be published.

come in

To enter a place.

come along

To accompany someone.

come around

To change your mind and accept something.

come off

To become detached.

come apart

To fall into pieces.

come between

To damage the relationship between two people.

come back — meaning, examples & how to say it