Meanings
- dialectalinformalSynonym of how come (“why”).
"Why come y'all ain't staying with me? You know you're welcome anytime. Your cameraman. What's his name? Bill?” “Bob.”
2008 September 1, Linda Leigh Hargrove, Loving Cee Cee Johnson, Moody Publishers, →ISBN, page 403 more examples
"A letter." "From who?" "A friend." “Can I try to read it?" "No." "Why not?" "Because it's a letter to me, that's why." "Were you taking another nap, Mama?" "Yes, I was." "Why come you're smiling like that?"
2011, Terry McMillan, Waiting to Exhale, Penguin, →ISBN, page 383God begins to deal with me. “Why can't you trust me? Can't you trust Me with that? You say you believe in Me. You say I'm your God, trust Me. What's the problem? Why come you can't let Me handle it? Why come you can't give it to me?"
2012 March 23, Tetie Sessoms, Spiritual Journey Poetry and Praise, Booktango, →ISBN"Why come y'all din't wait for me???" Tommy bellowed at them. “Well, well, well!” Merle said, slowing to a stop as the boys walked up to within a few feet of him.
2020 July 22, J. D. Riley, A Jeweler’s Eye View: Volume One: Diamond in the Rough, Archway Publishing, →ISBNSynonyms: how come
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbSynonym of how come (“why”).
Cite this entry
why come. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/why%20come
“why come.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/why%20come. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “why come,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/why%20come.
Source: why come on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.