come down with
/ˌkʌm ˈdaʊn wɪð/NEUTRAL · B2
Meaning
to start to have an illness, usually a minor one
Examples
- 1Half the class came down with flu in the week before the exams.
- 2I think I'm coming down with a cold — my throat is really sore.
- 3Sam came down with chickenpox the day before our holiday, so we had to cancel.
- 4Maria felt fine at breakfast, but by lunchtime she was clearly coming down with something.
- 5Three of the nurses have come down with the same bug, so the ward is short-staffed.
Grammar
Only come changes form: came, come. The illness follows directly: a cold, flu, something.
Similar in meaning
More idioms about health
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →out of shapenot fit because you have not been exercisingsleep like a logto rest very deeply without being easily wokenback on your feethealthy and active again after an illness or injurya clean bill of healthofficial confirmation that someone is well or something is safetake a turn for the worseto suddenly get more serious or unpleasant, often in illnessa couch potatoa person who watches a lot of TV and rarely exercises
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
Here you get a couple of questions. The app gives you 16 practice modes, native equivalents and spaced repetition that tells you when it’s time to refresh.
