Living Full-Time In A New Zealand Bus Home

What does “coming up on” mean in English?

When someone says they are “coming up on” something, they mean they are nearly at that point. It works for time (“coming up on two years”), distance, or numbers (“coming up on a million views”). The phrase tells the listener that the moment or number has almost arrived. It is common in everyday spoken English and sounds natural in both casual and more formal situations.

In this clip, the speaker has been living full-time in a bus he built himself. He says he has lived in it “coming up on one year” — meaning just under a year, close to that number. You could use this phrase the same way: “We’ve been living here coming up on three years.” Or: “It’s coming up on midnight, so we should leave.” Remember that “coming up on” means you are approaching or nearly reaching a time or number: “We’re coming up on three years here” means almost three years — close, but not quite yet.