come upon v 1: find unexpectedly; "the archeologists chanced upon an old tomb"; "she struck a goldmine"; "The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake" [syn: {fall upon}, {strike}, {light upon}, {chance upon}, {come across}, {chance on}, {happen upon}, {attain}, {discover}] 2: take possession of; "She entered upon the estate of her rich relatives" [syn: {enter upon}, {luck into}]