if you build it, they will come
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Creating the right circumstances for a goal will result in that goal realizing itself.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Tạo ra hoàn cảnh phù hợp cho một mục tiêu sẽ dẫn đến mục tiêu đó trở thành hiện thực
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
The region may be sparsely populated now, but our new infrastructure project will surely attract tons of development and investment. If you build it, they will come.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “if you build it, they will come” mean?
Creating the right circumstances for a goal will result in that goal realizing itself.
Is “if you build it, they will come” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.