come up from behind

verb

To surprisingly succeed despite long odds; to stealthily or unobtrusively rise up from a low-status position.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbcome up from behind (third-person singular simple present comes up from behind, present participle coming up from behind, simple past came up from behind, past participle come up from behind)

present singular third person comes up from behind · participle present coming up from behind · past came up from behind

  1. To surprisingly succeed despite long odds; to stealthily or unobtrusively rise up from a low-status position.
Cite this entry
APA

come up from behind. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20up%20from%20behind

MLA

“come up from behind.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20up%20from%20behind. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “come up from behind,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20up%20from%20behind.

Source: come up from behind on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.