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come in

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come in

 

1. to enter. (Often a command or polite request.) Please come in. If you will come in and have a seat, I will tell Betty that you are here.

2. to arrive; [for a shipment of something] to arrive. New models come in almost every week. When do you expect a new batch to come in? The tomatoes will come in at the end of July. The election results came in early in the evening.

3. [for a broadcast signal] to be received satisfactorily. Can you hear me? How am I coming in? You are coming in all right.

See also: come

Come (on) in.

 and come on in(to) something

Enter.; Come into this place. (A polite invitation to enter someone's home, office, room, etc. It is more emphatic with on.) Bob: Hello, you guys. Come on in. We're just about to start dinner. Bill: Come in. Nice to see you. Mary: I hope we're not too early. Bill: Not at all. Come on into the house and have a cold drink.

See also: come

come in

1. Arrive, become available for use or begin to produce, as in Has the new fall line come in yet? or The latest reports are coming in now, or This well has just begun to come in. [Late 1800s]

2. Also, come in on. Join an enterprise, as in Do you want to come in on our venture? [Mid-1800s]

3. Be one of those who finish a contest or race, as in My horse came in last. [Late 1800s]

4. Perform or function, as in This mixer comes in very handy, or Where does my department come in? [Late 1800s] Also see come in handy.

5. Enter into an account, issue, or list, as in Where does this question come in? or Please explain where in this long process I come in. This usage dates from Shakespeare's time and appears in The Tempest (2:1): "Widow? A pox on that! How came that widow in?" Also see subsequent entries beginning with come in; come into; this is where I came in.

See also: come

come in

v.

1. To enter some enclosed region: You may open the door and come in.

2. To arrive or become available: We don't have any summer hats now, but a new shipment will be coming in soon. Some important information just came in that we think you should know about.

3. To arrive at an airport, harbor, or other central location. Used especially of modes of transportation: The flight comes in at 6:00.

4. To approach or encroach upon a shoreline: The tide is coming in after noon. Big waves will come in for some time after the storm.

5. To arrive, among those who finish a contest or race, at some rank with respect to the others: My friend came in fifth place in the spelling contest, and I came in last. These two runners will come in ahead of the others.

6. To be received. Used of wireless communications: The radio signal is not coming in well because of the electrical storm.

7. To take on a specified role: You don't have to help move the boxes; come in when we need you for the furniture. Chapter five of the book is where the main character comes in.

8. come in at To be measured or evaluated as having some value: The heaviest of the parcels came in at more than ten pounds.

9. come in for To be subject to something: The engineers came in for high praise with their clever design. The officials will come in for sharp criticism by the newspapers.

10. come in with To join some group in some endeavor or toward achieving something: Do you want to come in with us to buy a birthday present for Timmy?

See also: come