English Reference
Idiom idiom

come and go


To repeatedly appear and disappear; to be transient.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

“Pain can come and go during the day.”

CONTEXTUAL

“In this city, trends come and go so quickly that it is hard to keep up.”

COMPLEX

“He realized that fame and fortune are fleeting things that come and go, leaving only the truth of one's character behind.”


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all dressed up and nowhere to go

    Elaborately attired or otherwise fully prepared for an anticipated situation or activity which, nevertheless, fails to occur.

  2. 02

    all systems go

    Everything is ready.

  3. 03

    appetite comes with eating

    Starting an activity increases one's desire to continue it.

  4. 04

    as they come

    As it is possible to be.

  5. 05

    as you go

    While one is doing (something); as one progresses.

  6. 06

    blow to kingdom come

    To totally destroy (something); to annihilate or wipe out (something).

  7. 07

    boldly go where no man has gone before

    To break new ground.

  8. 08

    burn that bridge when one comes to it

    To anticipate dealing with a problem or situation either by acting in a manner that alienates or cuts ties with others, or merely with the expectation of encountering trouble.

Last updated August 10, 2026