how come

Meaning

Why; why is it; for what reason or purpose; due to what cause?

Synonyms

why

for what reason

what for

why is that

how

why so

how is that possible

what’s wrong

for what purpose

Pronounced as (IPA)

/haʊ kʌm/

Etymology

Cognate with Western Frisian: hoe kom

Cognate with Dutch: hoe komt het

Cognate with Afrikaans: hoekom

In summary

US English, 1848, probably from older forms such as "How comes it that... ?" or "How does it come that... ?" and "How did it come to be like this?"
Compare West Frisian hoe kom (“how come”), Dutch hoe komt het (“how comes it; why”), Afrikaans hoekom (“how come; why”).