come and go

come and go (third-person singular simple present comes and goes, present participle coming and going, simple past came and went, past participle come and gone)

1. To alternately enter and exit, arrive and depart (either physically or figuratively).

   He comes and goes as he pleases.

   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:

     Shepard: This isn't a station; it's a city.
     Kaidan: There must be millions here. It can't be possible to track everyone coming and going.

   • 2025 February 19, Mike Lewis, “Tragedy at Moorgate”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 57, about the Moorgate tube crash:

     Moorgate itself was another story. Here, the area was humming with activity. The entire street had been cordoned off. Fire engines, police vehicles, and ambulances were coming and going, and emergency personnel were hurrying around.

2. To repeatedly appear and disappear; to be transient.

   My headaches come and go, but the pain in my neck is constant.

   • 1976 August 25, Tom Scholz, “More Than a Feeling”, in Boston‎, performed by Boston:

     So many people have come and gone
     Their faces fade as the years go by

   • 2012 April 22, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 West Brom”, in BBC Sport‎:

     Opportunities came and went as Kuyt's deflected shot from an angle cannoned back off the woodwork and Carroll twice fired over after right-wing crosses from Kuyt and Johnson picked him out.

   • 2023 March 24, Adam Leventhal, “Ben Foster’s move to Wrexham: How a business and football deal was done”, in The Athletic‎:

     He had discussed joining Atlanta United in MLS and following his retirement, there was an outside chance that Hugo Lloris’ current injury at Tottenham Hotspur would create an opening there. Other offers came and went, but it was YouTubing and podcasting that filled [Ben] Foster’s time, not football, albeit with the door to a comeback left slightly ajar.

   • 2023 March 28, Graeme McGarry, “Scott McTominay earns place in history as Scotland stun Spain”, in The Herald‎:

     Another chance came and went as Ryan Christie’s direct running allowed him to advance right to the edge of the Spanish box before toe-poking just wide, but as the half wore on, the Scottish midfield were more often than not playing the part of destroyers.

• coming and going
• ebb and flow
• here today, gone tomorrow