come up — approach in status
phrasal verbC2IELTS 8+neutralrare
to rise or advance in social, professional, or economic status, often implying a significant or noticeable improvement.
Say it like a native
Textbook He has advanced considerably in social standing since then.
Native He's really come up in the world.
'Come up in the world' is the idiom for rising in status; the formal paraphrase sounds like a biography.
Pattern: come up (in the world/society/company)
In use
- After years of hard work, she's really come up in the world.social_status
- Many people aspire to come up in their careers, seeking not only financial rewards but also greater recognition and influence.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ She has come up a lot in her status.
✓ She's really come up in the world.
The fixed phrase is 'come up in the world' — don't paraphrase the 'status' part.
Common collocations
come up in the world— in the world, from nothing, the hard way
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 sense ('arise') or B2 sense ('be mentioned'), this sense is figurative and refers to someone's progress or rise in status, not to events or topics appearing.
Related
- come up (arise (of a problem, opportunity, or situation)) — 'come up' also has the more basic meaning 'arise (of a problem, opportunity, or situation)'; this is the advanced sense.