come through

Conflation of Middle English þurȝcomyn (v. inf.), with inseparable prefix, and comen thurgh, a verb-adverb/preposition combination. Cf. German durchkommen, where the prefix is separable. Equivalent to come +‎ through.

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come through (third-person singular simple present comes through, present participle coming through, simple past came through, past participle come through)

1. To come into a room or other space through a door or passageway.

   I can see Mr Smith now. Please ask him to come through.

2. (idiomatic) To survive, to endure.

   He came through the surgery unharmed.

3. To be communicated or expressed successfully.

   The anger in her song really came through.

   More information on the scandal is coming through now.

4. (intransitive, idiomatic) To succeed.

   The team came through in the end and won the pennant.

   • 2018 November 3, Phil McNulty, “Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport‎:

     It was felt Liverpool's potent attack would provide their most severe test - and to come through against Jurgen Klopp's unbeaten side with a point will do wonders for belief and self-confidence.

5. (with an object preceded by the preposition for or with) To not let somebody down, keep or fulfil one's word or promise.

   Synonym: deliver

   Antonyms: disappoint, fail

   She really came through for us when the project was in trouble.

   He really came through with a lawyer when we were in trouble.

6. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see come,‎ through.

   This letter came through the letterbox.

   • 2022 January 12, Dr. Joseph Brennan, “Castles: ruined and redeemed by rail”, in RAIL, number 948, page 56:

     As our tour has shown, the state of ruination of castle sites was a key factor in their fate when the railways came through.

• “come through”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.