ENGLISH
REFERENCE

come in for

phr. v..
C1 Advanced Oxford

phr. v.. to receive something unpleasant, like criticism or blame, from other people.

phr. v.. to be the object of or to receive something, typically negative reactions such as criticism, blame, or abuse.


SIMPLE

The government will come in for a lot of criticism.

CONTEXTUAL

The director has come in for some harsh words after the movie failed at the box office.

COMPLEX

The CEO is likely to come in for intense scrutiny from the board of directors following the recent data breach.

Particles
in for
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
come + in + for + object
Usage

almost always used with negative nouns like criticism, blame, scrutiny, or abuse.

Teaching tip

this is a three-part phrasal verb; help students remember it by associating it with 'receiving' a delivery of negative feedback.

Pitfall

The plan came in criticism.The plan came in for criticism.the full three-part verb 'come in for' is required to connect the subject to the thing being received.

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