come close
idiom
1
: to almost do something
We didn't win, but we came close.
—often + toThe band came very close to breaking up.
We came close to winning the championship this season.
2
: to be similar to something or as good as expected
She said they taste just like real hot dogs, but they don't even come close (to the real thing).
Examples of come close in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There are other competitors, though none of them have come close to matching Waymo’s scale.
—
Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025
Above them loomed the Nativity façade, the only one that Gaudí had come close to finishing.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
The total cost of repair has come close to $40,000, according to Linda Kilfoil and construction estimates provided by her attorney.
—Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
While most modern humans don’t come anywhere near hypercarnivory, a few exceptional populations have historically reached, or come close to, that threshold.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for come close
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Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025
Above them loomed the Nativity façade, the only one that Gaudí had come close to finishing.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
The total cost of repair has come close to $40,000, according to Linda Kilfoil and construction estimates provided by her attorney.
—Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
While most modern humans don’t come anywhere near hypercarnivory, a few exceptional populations have historically reached, or come close to, that threshold.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for come close
Cite this Entry
“Come close.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20close. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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