Browse all

run into

B1 neutral inseparable transitive
In simple words

To accidentally meet someone you know, crash into something, or find a problem

Literal meaning: To run and collide with something — this is the physical sense, from which other meanings extend

Meanings

1 A2 idiomatic informal

To meet someone unexpectedly without planning to

"I ran into my old school teacher at the supermarket yesterday."

""I ran into Bob Dylan at a party in the early seventies.""

— Bruce Springsteen, widely reported in interviews
Grammar: inseparable
2 A2 neutral

To collide with a person, vehicle, or object

"He lost control of the car and ran into a tree."

Grammar: inseparable
3 B1 idiomatic neutral

To encounter problems, difficulties, or obstacles

"The construction project ran into serious funding problems last year."

""We ran into a lot of resistance when we tried to pass the bill.""

— General political discourse; widely used phrasing in US Congressional reporting
Grammar: inseparable
4 B2 idiomatic neutral

To reach a large amount or number (of money, words, pages, etc.)

"The legal costs ran into hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

The 'meet by chance' sense is very frequent in everyday speech. The 'encounter a problem' sense is common in formal and business contexts ('run into difficulties').

Commonly used with

trouble problems difficulty debt friend wall

Forms

Base
run into
I/you/we/they
3rd person
runs into
he/she/it
Past simple
ran into
yesterday
Past participle
run into
have + pp
-ing form
running into
continuous

Understand "run into" better

Try:

Real video examples

Video examples are being collected. Check back soon.

Want to master this phrasal verb?

Practice "run into" on Looplines