run into
RUN IN-too
/rʌn ˈɪntuː/
To meet someone by chance; to experience a problem unexpectedly.
Usually implies a surprise encounter that wasn't planned.
The story behind the word. From the literal sense of colliding with something while running, it shifted in the 19th century to mean meeting someone by chance, as if your paths physically collided.
Word relationships
- bump into: Bump into is even more informal than run into.
- encounter: Encounter is more formal and often used for problems or obstacles.
- avoid: Avoid is a deliberate effort not to meet someone.
Commonly confused with
- run to: Run to implies intentional movement toward a person for help.
Collocations
- run into an old friend
- run into trouble
- run into debt
Idioms & expressions
- run into a brick wall
Example sentences
- "You'll never guess who I run into at the supermarket yesterday—our old high school teacher!" A casual encounter at a grocery store.
- "We run into some unexpected technical difficulties during the presentation." Encountering technical difficulties.
Memory hook
Imagine you are running and 'into' a friend you didn't see coming. Run into a surprise.
When not to use
Don't use this if you have a scheduled meeting; use 'meet with' instead.
Fun facts
- In the UK, 'run into' is often replaced by 'bump into' in casual speech.
Explore more words
unforeseen, fluke, coincidence, fortuitous, glitch, serendipity
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.