What Is Another Way to Say “Come Across”?

Looking for synonyms for come across? We’ve got you covered!

Here’s a list of other ways to say come across.

  • Encounter
  • Stumble upon
  • Find
  • Discover
  • Come upon
  • Run into
  • Happen upon
  • Unearth
  • Chance upon
  • Bump into
  • Uncover
  • Stumble across
  • Meet
  • Detect
  • Locate
  • Chance on
  • Light upon
  • Strike upon
  • Fall upon
  • Lay eyes on

Want to learn how to say come across professionally? Keep reading for examples and use cases.

1. Encounter

Usage: Suitable for unintentionally coming across something or someone.
Example: “During the survey, the team encountered rare wildlife in the region.”

2. Stumble upon

Usage: Ideal for finding something by chance, often unexpectedly.
Example: “She stumbled upon a crucial piece of evidence while researching the case.”

3. Find

Usage: A general term for coming across something.
Example: “He was able to find the missing document in the company archives.”

4. Discover

Usage: Suitable for finding something for the first time, especially something significant.
Example: “The researcher discovered a groundbreaking theory in her field.”

5. Come upon

Usage: Used for encountering something by chance.
Example: “The hikers came upon a hidden waterfall in the forest.”

6. Run into

Usage: Commonly used for unexpectedly meeting someone or encountering a situation.
Example: “I ran into our project manager at the industry conference.”

7. Happen upon

Usage: Ideal for encountering something by chance, similar to ‘stumble upon’.
Example: “She happened upon an interesting article that could impact their marketing strategy.”

8. Unearth

Usage: Often used for discovering something hidden, lost, or kept secret.
Example: “The audit team unearthed some discrepancies in the financial reports.”

9. Chance upon

Usage: Suitable for encountering something by luck or chance.
Example: “He chanced upon an old colleague at the business event.”

10. Bump into

Usage: Informal term for accidentally meeting someone or finding something.
Example: “She bumped into an old friend at the corporate gala.”

11. Uncover

Usage: Ideal for discovering something that was hidden or unknown.
Example: “The investigation helped to uncover fraud within the organization.”

12. Stumble across

Usage: Similar to ‘stumble upon’, implying finding something accidentally.
Example: “During her research, she stumbled across a rare historical document.”

13. Meet

Usage: Typically used for encountering a person.
Example: “We will meet the new CEO at the upcoming meeting.”

14. Detect

Usage: Suitable for discovering something that is not easily noticeable.
Example: “The software was able to detect errors in the coding process.”

15. Locate

Usage: Used when something is found after searching.
Example: “The team was able to locate the issue in the network system.”

16. Chance on

Usage: Similar to ‘chance upon’, for finding something by chance.
Example: “He chanced on a rare book that would greatly aid his research.”

17. Light upon

Usage: A more literary term for finding something, especially by chance.
Example: “In her studies, she lighted upon an interesting historical correlation.”

18. Strike upon

Usage: Suitable for discovering something suddenly or by chance.
Example: “The scientist struck upon a novel solution to the problem.”

19. Fall upon

Usage: Often used for encountering something, especially a task or challenge, suddenly.
Example: “The responsibility to lead the project fell upon the junior manager.”

20. Lay eyes on

Usage: A more descriptive way of saying to see or find something.
Example: “He was the first to lay eyes on the new prototype.”

Linda Brown