run into
phrasal verb·2 senses·particle into
Meanings
Meet someone or encounter a problem unexpectedly
Why “into”? Two paths meet. The meeting may be a surprise or a physical collision.
“I ran into Sofia at the market.”
“We ran into a problem with the printer.”
Hit someone or something while moving
“The cyclist ran into a wall.”
“The runner ran into a sign in the dark.”
Test yourself
“I ran into Sofia at the market.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
back into
Same into pattern: contact and encounter
Hit something while moving backwards
bang into
Same into pattern: contact and encounter
Hit something hard by accident
bump into
Same into pattern: contact and encounter
Meet someone unexpectedly
crash into
Same into pattern: contact and encounter
Hit something with great force while moving
walk into
Same into pattern: contact and encounter
Enter a place by walking; Hit something accidentally while walking
run about
Same base verb: run
Move busily in many directions
run across
Same base verb: run
Encounter someone or something unexpectedly
run after
Same base verb: run
Chase someone by running
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