Come vs. Visit — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 27, 2024
"Come" implies movement towards the speaker or destination, while "visit" entails going to a place or person, often for a specific purpose or duration.
Difference Between Come and Visit
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Come" is a verb that describes the action of moving towards the speaker or a specified place, often used in invitations or requests. It focuses on the direction of movement from another location to the speaker's location. On the other hand, "visit" involves traveling to a place or person, typically for social, business, or leisure purposes, and implies a temporary stay or engagement with the destination or person.
When someone says "come here," they are asking another person to move towards their current location, emphasizing the action of moving closer. Whereas, to "visit someone" suggests going to where another person is, with the intention of spending time with them or engaging in some activity, highlighting the purpose of the interaction rather than just the movement.
"Come" can also suggest a future action directed towards the speaker's current or future location, used in planning or inviting. For example, "Come to my house tomorrow." In contrast, "visit" suggests a planned engagement with a place or individual, often involving preparation or a defined timeframe, as in planning a trip or arranging a meeting.
The choice between "come" and "visit" can also reflect the nature of the relationship or the formality of the situation. "Come" might be used more informally among friends or family, indicating a casual invitation. Meanwhile, "visit" can be used in both informal and formal contexts but might carry a sense of intention or purpose beyond merely arriving at a location.
"Come" is often used in broader contexts beyond physical movement, such as in phrases like "come to an agreement," where it means to reach a state or conclusion. "Visit," however, remains more closely tied to the idea of going to a place or person, with the additional connotation of spending time there for a specific reason or duration.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
To move towards the speaker or a specified place.
To go to a place or person, often for a specific reason.
Emphasis
Direction of movement.
Engagement with the destination or person.
Usage
Invitations, requests to approach.
Planning engagements, trips, meetings.
Context
Often informal, among friends or family.
Both informal and formal, with a sense of purpose.
Beyond Physical Movement
Yes, can mean to reach a conclusion or state.
Primarily tied to physical travel and engagement.
Compare with Definitions
Come
Used to invite someone to the speaker's location.
Come over for dinner tonight.
Visit
To go to see a place or person usually for a reason and for a short period of time.
We plan to visit France next summer.
Come
To move or travel towards the speaker or a specified place.
Please come to the office as soon as possible.
Visit
Suggests a temporary stay or engagement.
How long will you visit your family?
Come
Can imply reaching a state or conclusion.
They finally came to an understanding after the long discussion.
Visit
Involves going to a place or person for social, business, or leisure reasons.
I'll visit my grandmother in the hospital tomorrow.
Come
Indicates future movement towards a location related to the speaker.
Are you coming to the concert next week?
Visit
Primarily associated with physical travel and being present at a location.
We visited several museums during our trip.
Come
Often used informally to indicate simple movement towards a place.
Come to the park with us.
Visit
Can be used in both informal and formal contexts, often involves planning.
The CEO will visit the overseas branches next month.
Come
Move or travel towards or into a place thought of as near or familiar to the speaker
Jess came into the kitchen
He came rushing out
I came here on holiday with my parents
Visit
To go to see or spend time with (someone); call on socially
Visit friends.
Come
Occur; happen; take place
His father waited for a phone call that never came
Twilight had not yet come
A chance like this doesn't come along every day
Visit
To go to see in order to aid or console
Visit the sick and dying.
Come
Take or occupy a specified position in space, order, or priority
Prisons come well down the list of priorities
I make sure my kids come first
Visit
To stay with (someone) as a guest.
Come
Pass into a specified state, especially one of separation or disunion
His shirt had come undone
Visit
To go to see in an official or professional capacity
Visited the dentist.
A priest visiting his parishioners.
Come
Be sold, available, or found in a specified form
The shirts come in three sizes
The cars come with a variety of extras
Visit
To go to see or spend time at (a place) with a certain intent
Visit a museum.
Visited London.
Come
Have an orgasm.
Visit
To access (a website).
Come
When a specified time is reached or event happens
I don't think that they'll be far away from honours come the new season
Visit
To occur to or occupy the mind of
Was visited by a bizarre thought.
Come
Semen ejaculated at an orgasm.
Visit
To consider or discuss
Has she visited that topic on her blog?.
Come
To advance toward the speaker or toward a specified place; approach
Come to me.
Visit
To afflict or assail
A plague visited the village.
Come
To advance in a specified manner
The children came reluctantly when I insisted.
Visit
To inflict or impose
In the Bible, God visits his wrath on the sinful.
Come
To make progress; advance
A former drug addict who has come a long way.
Visit
(Archaic) To inflict punishment on or for; avenge
The sins of the ancestors were visited on their descendants.
Come
To fare
How are things coming today? They're coming fine.
Visit
To make a visit.
Come
To reach a particular point in a series or as a result of orderly progression
At last we came to the chapter on ergonomics.
Visit
(Informal) To converse or chat
Stay and visit with me for a while.
Come
To arrive, as in due course
Dawn comes at 5 AM in June.
Visit
The act or an instance of visiting a person or place.
Come
To move into view; appear
The moon came over the horizon.
Visit
A stay or sojourn as a guest.
Come
To occur in time; take place
The game will be played tomorrow, come rain or shine.
Visit
(transitive) To habitually go to (someone in distress, sickness etc.) to comfort them. (Now generally merged into later senses, below.)
Come
To arrive at a particular result or end
Come to an understanding.
Visit
To go and meet (a person) as an act of friendliness or sociability.
She decided to visit her grandparents for Christmas.
Come
To arrive at or reach a particular state or condition
Come to your senses!.
Visit
(transitive) Of God: to appear to (someone) to comfort, bless, or chastise or punish them. (Now generally merged into later senses, below.)
Come
To move or be brought to a particular position
The convoy came to an abrupt halt.
Visit
To punish, to inflict harm upon (someone or something).
Come
To extend; reach
Water that came to my waist.
Visit
(transitive) Of a sickness, misfortune etc.: to afflict (someone).
Come
To have priority; rank
My work comes first.
Visit
(transitive) To inflict punishment, vengeance for (an offense) on or upon someone.
Come
To happen as a result
This mess comes of your carelessness.
Visit
(transitive) To go to (a shrine, temple etc.) for worship. (Now generally merged into later senses, below.)
Come
To fall to one
No good can come of this.
Visit
(transitive) To go to (a place) for pleasure, on an errand, etc.
Come
To occur in the mind
A good idea just came to me.
Visit
A single act of visiting.
Next time you're in Manchester, give me a visit.
We paid a quick visit to James on the way up to Scotland.
Come
To issue forth
A cry came from the frightened child.
Visit
A meeting with a doctor at their surgery or the doctor's at one's home.
Come
To be derived; originate
Oaks come from acorns.
Visit
To go or come to see, as for the purpose of friendship, business, curiosity, etc.; to attend; to call upon; as, the physician visits his patient.
Come
To be descended
They come from a good family.
Visit
To go or come to see for inspection, examination, correction of abuses, etc.; to examine, to inspect; as, a bishop visits his diocese; a superintendent visits persons or works under his charge.
Come
To be within a given range or spectrum of reference or application
This stipulation comes within the terms of your contract.
Visit
To come to for the purpose of chastising, rewarding, comforting; to come upon with reward or retribution; to appear before or judge; as, to visit in mercy; to visit one in wrath.
[God] hath visited and redeemed his people.
Come
To be a native or resident
My friend comes from Chicago.
Visit
To make a visit or visits; to maintain visiting relations; to practice calling on others.
Come
To add up to a certain amount
Expenses came to more than income.
Visit
The act of visiting, or going to see a person or thing; a brief stay of business, friendship, ceremony, curiosity, or the like, usually longer than a call; as, a visit of civility or respect; a visit to Saratoga; the visit of a physician.
Come
To become
The knot came loose. This is a dream that has come true.
Visit
The act of going to view or inspect; an official or formal inspection; examination; visitation; as, the visit of a trustee or inspector.
Come
To turn out to be
A good education doesn't come cheap.
Visit
The act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time;
He dropped by for a visit
Come
To be available or obtainable
Shoes that come in all sizes.
Visit
A meeting arranged by the visitor to see someone (such as a doctor or lawyer) for treatment or advice;
He scheduled a visit to the dentist
Come
Vulgar Slang To experience orgasm.
Visit
The act of visiting in an official capacity (as for an inspection)
Come
Semen ejaculated during orgasm.
Visit
The act of going to see some person in a professional capacity;
A visit to the dentist
Come
(intransitive) To move from further away to nearer to.
She’ll be coming ’round the mountain when she comes...
Visit
A temporary stay (e.g., as a guest)
Come
To move towards the speaker.
I called the dog, but she wouldn't come.
Stop dawdling and come here!
Visit
Visit a place, as for entertainment;
We went to see the Eiffel Tower in the morning
Come
To move towards the listener.
Hold on, I'll come in a second.
You should ask the doctor to come to your house.
Visit
Go to certain places as for sightseeing;
Did you ever visit Paris?
Come
To move towards the object that is the focus of the sentence.
No-one can find Bertie Wooster when his aunts come to visit.
Hundreds of thousands of people come to Disneyland every year.
Visit
Pay a brief visit;
The mayor likes to call on some of the prominent citizens
Come
(in subordinate clauses and gerunds) To move towards the agent or subject of the main clause.
King Cnut couldn't stop the tide coming.
He threw the boomerang, which came right back to him.
Visit
Come to see in an official or professional capacity;
The governor visited the prison
The grant administrator visited the laboratory
Come
To move towards an unstated agent.
The butler should come when called.
Visit
Impose something unpleasant;
The principal visited his rage on the students
Come
(intransitive) To arrive.
Visit
Talk socially without exchanging too much information;
The men were sitting in the cafe and shooting the breeze
Come
(intransitive) To appear, to manifest itself.
The pain in his leg comes and goes.
Visit
Stay with as a guest;
Every summer, we visited our relatives in the country for a month
Come
(with an infinitive) To begin to have an opinion or feeling.
We came to believe that he was not so innocent after all.
She came to think of that country as her home.
Visit
Assail;
He was visited with a terrible illness that killed him quickly
Come
(with an infinitive) To do something by chance, without intending to do it.
Could you tell me how the document came to be discovered?
Come
(intransitive) To take a position relative to something else in a sequence.
Which letter comes before Y?
Winter comes after autumn.
Come
To achieve orgasm; to cum; to ejaculate.
He came after a few minutes.
Come
To become butter by being churned.
Come
To approach a state of being or accomplishment.
They came very close to leaving on time.
His test scores came close to perfect.
One of the screws came loose, and the skateboard fell apart.
Come
To take a particular approach or point of view in regard to something.
He came to SF literature a confirmed technophile, and nothing made him happier than to read a manuscript thick with imaginary gizmos and whatzits.
Come
To become, to turn out to be.
He was a dream come true.
Come
(intransitive) To be supplied, or made available; to exist.
He's as tough as they come.
Our milkshakes come in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavours.
A new sports car doesn't come cheap.
Come
(slang) To carry through; to succeed in.
You can't come any tricks here.
Come
(intransitive) Happen.
This kind of accident comes when you are careless.
Come
To have as an origin, originate.
Come
To have a certain social background.
Come
To be or have been a resident or native.
Where did you come from?
Come
To have been brought up by or employed by.
She comes from a good family.
He comes from a disreputable legal firm.
Come
To begin (at a certain location); to radiate or stem (from).
The river comes from Bear Lake.
Where does this road come from?
Come
To germinate.
Come
To pretend to be; to behave in the manner of.
Don’t come the innocent victim. We all know who’s to blame here.
Come
(obsolete) Coming, arrival; approach.
Come
Semen
Come
Female ejaculatory discharge.
Come
Senseid|en|typography}} {{alternative form of commain its medieval use as a middot ⟨·⟩ serving as a form of colon.
Come
Used to indicate a point in time at or after which a stated event or situation occurs.
Leave it to settle for about three months and, come Christmas time, you'll have a delicious concoction to offer your guests.
Come retirement, their Social Security may turn out to be a lot less than they counted on.
Come summer, we would all head off to the coast.
Come
An exclamation to express annoyance.
Come come! Stop crying.
Come now! You must eat it.
Come
An exclamation to express encouragement, or to precede a request.
Come come! You can do it.
Come now! It won't bite you.
Come
To move hitherward; to draw near; to approach the speaker, or some place or person indicated; - opposed to go.
Look, who comes yonder?
I did not come to curse thee.
Come
To complete a movement toward a place; to arrive.
When we came to Rome.
Lately come from Italy.
Come
To approach or arrive, as if by a journey or from a distance.
The hour is coming, and now is.
So quick bright things come to confusion.
Come
To approach or arrive, as the result of a cause, or of the act of another.
From whence come wars?
Both riches and honor come of thee !
Come
To arrive in sight; to be manifest; to appear.
Then butter does refuse to come.
Come
To get to be, as the result of change or progress; - with a predicate; as, to come untied.
How come you thus estranged?
How come her eyes so bright?
Think not that I am come to destroy.
We are come off like Romans.
The melancholy days are come, the saddest of the year.
They were criedIn meeting, come next Sunday.
On better thoughts, and my urged reasons,They are come about, and won to the true side.
Come
To carry through; to succeed in; as, you can't come any tricks here.
Come
Coming.
Come
Move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody;
He came singing down the road
Come with me to the Casbah
Come down here!
Come out of the closet!
Come into the room
Come
Reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress;
She arrived home at 7 o'clock
She didn't get to Chicago until after midnight
Come
Come to pass; arrive, as in due course;
The first success came three days later
It came as a shock
Dawn comes early in June
Come
Reach a state, relation, or condition;
The water came to a boil
We came to understand the true meaning of life
Their anger came to a boil
I came to realize the true meaning of life
Come
To be the product or result;
Melons come from a vine
Understanding comes from experience
Come
Enter or assume a condition, relation, use, or position;
He came into contact with a terrorist group
The shoes came untied
I came to see his point of view
Her face went red with anger
The knot came loose
Your wish will come true
Come
Be found or available;
These shoes come in three colors; The furniture comes unassembled
Come
Come forth;
A scream came from the woman's mouth
His breath came hard
Come
Be a native of;
She hails from Kalamazoo
Come
Extend or reach;
The water came up to my waist
The sleeves come to your knuckles
Come
Exist or occur in a certain point in a series;
Next came the student from France
Come
Come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example;
She was descended from an old Italian noble family
He comes from humble origins
Come
Cover a certain distance;
She came a long way
Come
Come under, be classified or included;
Fall into a category
This comes under a new heading
Come
Happen as a result;
Nothing good will come of this
Come
Add up in number or quantity;
The bills amounted to $2,000
The bill came to $2,000
Come
Develop into;
This idea will never amount to anything
Nothing came of his grandiose plans
Come
Be received;
News came in of the massacre in Rwanda
Come
Come to one's mind; suggest itself;
It occurred to me that we should hire another secretary
A great idea then came to her
Come
Proceed or get along;
How is she doing in her new job?
How are you making out in graduate school?
He's come a long way
Come
Experience orgasm;
She could not come because she was too upset
Come
Have a certain priority;
My family comes first
Common Curiosities
Can "come" and "visit" be used interchangeably?
While they may seem similar, their usage depends on context: "come" emphasizes movement towards, and "visit" emphasizes purposeful engagement or stay.
How does "come" convey more than physical movement?
"Come" can also indicate arriving at a state or decision, not just physical movement towards a location.
What is the main difference between coming and visiting?
"Come" focuses on movement towards a location, often the speaker's, while "visit" involves going to and spending time at a place or with a person.
Why might someone use "visit" instead of "come"?
"Visit" is chosen to emphasize the purposeful nature of the engagement, such as spending time or fulfilling a specific reason at the destination.
Can "come" imply an invitation?
Yes, "come" is frequently used to extend casual invitations, suggesting an informal tone.
Is "come" more casual than "visit"?
"Come" is often used more informally, especially in invitations, whereas "visit" can be formal or informal, depending on the context.
How do "come" and "visit" differ in planning and intention?
"Come" is often spontaneous or involves direct movement, whereas "visit" usually implies more planning and a specific purpose or duration.
Can "visit" imply a long stay?
"Visit" usually implies a temporary engagement, but the duration can vary widely from a few hours to several days or weeks.
How do "come" and "visit" reflect the speaker's relationship with the audience?
"Come" may indicate closeness or informality, while "visit" can be used in a wider range of relationships and contexts.
Is "visit" restricted to physical locations?
Primarily, yes, though it can also imply visiting people, the focus is on physical presence at a location or with someone.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
