Meanings
- UKeuphemisticobsoleteTo become a prostitute; to turn to prostitution.
To be sure, it would have been more for the advantage of conversation had Miss Lydia Bennet come upon the town; or, as the happiest alternative, been secluded from the world, in some distant farm house.
1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter VIII, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume III, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 144 - USTo receive public charity; to have one's living supported by public funding.
The daughter had children and they all three came upon the town for support, for they would not work.
1912, Ada Harriet Kepley, A Farm Philosopher, Worman's Printery, page 1491 more example
While Brimfield people have never been very rich, they have been prudent and thrifty, and there have been very few so poor as to come upon the town for support.
1879, Historical Celebration of the Town of Brimfield, Hampden County, Mass, Clark W. Bryan Company, page 65Synonyms: come upon the parish
- USTo make one's debut in town society; to become (known as) a man or woman about town.
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseTo receive public charity; to have one's living supported by public funding.
Cite this entry
come upon the town. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20upon%20the%20town
“come upon the town.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20upon%20the%20town. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “come upon the town,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20upon%20the%20town.
Source: come upon the town on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.