Come down with means to catch or start to develop an illness, usually something not too serious: a cold, the flu, an infection. I'm coming down with something is what people say when they feel the first signs of getting sick: a sore throat, aching muscles.
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come down with + illness (a cold, the flu, a fever)
- Half the office has come down with the flu this week.
- Three of our players came down with food poisoning the day before the final.
- She came down with a bad cold right before her exams.
What changed
First versionHe came down by a cold after the trip.
RevisionHe came down with a cold after the trip.
By might seem to fit, as if the illness were the cause of what happened. But after come down, the illness is always introduced with with: came down with a cold.
Come down from has nothing to do with illness. It's used for coming down from somewhere physically (We came down from the mountain before dark) or for calming down after strong emotion (come down from an adrenaline rush).
Your turn
I woke up with a sore throat and a headache — I think I'm ___ a cold.
Show the answer
coming down with — A sore throat and a headache are early signs of getting sick, so coming down with fits. Coming down from means 'descending from somewhere' or 'calming down after strong excitement', and neither has anything to do with catching an illness.
Describe a moment when you felt you were getting sick. Name the symptoms and what you think you were coming down with.
My nose started running and I felt tired all day, so I'm pretty sure I'm coming down with a cold.
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