1.
to return here, to where the speaker is
“I'll come back tomorrow.”
“Come back here!”
“When did you come back from London?”
Synonyms: to return
Phrasal verb
What does come back mean?
Meaning: to return to where the speaker is
B1
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Quick answer
Come back = to return (here, to where the speaker is). I'll come back tomorrow = I will return here tomorrow. It is different from go back = to return there (away from the speaker). It has no direct object.
Meanings of the phrasal verb
2.
to become fashionable again (figurative)
figurative“Bell-bottom jeans are coming back.”
3.
to come into your memory again
common“It's coming back to me now.”
Word order
Intransitive (no object)
This phrasal verb does not take an object.
Forms
- Present Simple:
- come back
- Past Simple:
- came back
- Past participle:
- come back
- -ing form:
- coming back
Common mistakes to avoid
Come back or go back?
Come back = to return here (towards me, the speaker). Go back = to return there (away from the speaker). Come back home = return home (the speaker is at home). Go back to school = return to school (the speaker is not at school).
Irregular verb: came / come
Come is irregular: come → came → come. I came back yesterday (Past Simple). I have come back twice (Present Perfect). Never I comed back ❌.
No direct object
Come back has no direct object. Say come back home or come back TO London: you need to before a place name. Come back London ❌.
Practice quiz
Question 1 / 3The Big Challenge question bank
Related pages: come back
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
What's next?
Come back: you understand the rule. Now practise it.
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English contestCome back: often tested in the English contest
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Frequently asked questions
What does come back mean?+
Come back means to return here, to where the speaker is. I'll come back tomorrow = I will return here tomorrow. The direction is important: you return towards the person who is speaking.
What is the difference between come back and go back?+
It is about direction. Come back = to return here (towards me, the speaker). Go back = to return there (away from me). You tell your dog Come back! (return to me), but you tell a friend Go back to school (return there).
Is come back separable?+
No. Come back has no direct object, so nothing goes between come and back. With a place: come back home (no preposition before home), come back TO London. With a time: come back tomorrow.
What is the past simple of come back?+
Came back. Come is irregular: come → came → come. I came back at 5 = I returned at 5 o'clock.
What does “it's coming back to me” mean?+
It means you are starting to remember something. This is meaning 3, an idiom (a fixed phrase). When you slowly remember something, you say It's coming back to me now = I remember it now.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/phrasal-verbs/come-back
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.