Come up
Come up verb - To come near or nearer.
Usage example: the girl came up to the counter and asked if she could have her order prepared to go
Nigh
Nigh verb - To come near or nearer.
Usage example: as the hour of his death was nighing
Both terms in one sentence
- A pro player will come up with a build that is considered "nigh unbeatable" in a particular matchup, until another player develops a build to counter it.
- In the third Artemis Fowl book, two of Spiro's nigh-brainless henchmen "cleverly" come up with the idea to use the stolen Cube computer to take down a rival of Spiro's company.
Source: Smart Ball -
When it retreats into it, it becomes Nigh Invulnerable, and most animals just can't pull out the meaty bits due to a lack of dexterity or due to the protective plates that come up to cover the holes for the tortoise's head, legs and tail.
Source: Cutting the Knot
Cite this Source
Nigh and Come up. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/come_up/nigh
Come up & Nigh. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/come_up/nigh>.
Nigh or Come up. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/come_up/nigh.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "come up" and "nigh" have occurred on timeline