Come by means to visit briefly: someone's home, the office, a shop. The second meaning is to get or obtain something, most often in the phrase hard to come by, meaning rare or difficult to find: Good teachers are hard to come by.
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come by (+ place/my place/the office); come by + something = get it; be hard to come by
- Can you come by the office tomorrow to sign the contract?
- My neighbour came by last night to return the ladder.
- Cheap flats near the city centre are really hard to come by.
What changed
First versionYou can come by to me after work and pick up the book.
RevisionYou can come by my place after work and pick up the book.
It's tempting to say come by to me, as if you visit a person. But in English you come by a place: come by my place, come by the office. You can also leave out the place if it's obvious: Come by after work. The correction replaces to me with my place.
Come over means to come to someone's home, often by invitation and for longer: Come over for dinner on Friday. Come by is a short visit on the way somewhere, and not only to a home but also to an office or a shop.
Your turn
I'm at home all evening, so ___ any time and pick up your charger.
Show the answer
come by — The speaker invites someone to drop in and collect a charger, so come by. Come across means to find something by chance, which doesn't work as an invitation to visit.
Invite a friend to drop in for a short visit. Say when to come and why.
Come by on Saturday morning and I'll give you the books for your exam.
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