run into — 3 meanings

One phrase, 3 meanings. Learn them one at a time, then test yourself.

phrasal verb3 meanings

run into

meet by chance hit or collide with encounter difficulties

Meaning 1 · most common

meet by chance

run into sb

to meet someone unexpectedly, usually by accident.

How oftenCommon

LevelB1

Used inMostly spoken

Examples

I ran into my old teacher at the supermarket yesterday.

A: Guess who I ran into at the park today?
B: Who?
A: Sarah from our English class!

Common mistake

Not: I ran into ~~with~~ my teacher in town.

Say: I ran into my teacher in town.

'Run into' takes the person directly — no 'with'.

More on “meet by chance”Another example · Tell it apart · Goes with · Tip

Another example

Last weekend, I ran into an old friend while I was shopping in the city centre. We hadn't seen each other for years, so it was a nice surprise.

Tell it apart

I ran into Sam in town.

met by chance

I met up with Sam in town.

arranged it in advance

Goes with

run into + person

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Next meaning: hit or collide with

Meaning 2

hit or collide with

run into sth/sb

to accidentally hit or crash into something or someone while moving.

How oftenCommon

LevelB1

Used inMostly spoken

Examples

Be careful not to run into the table when you walk past.

A: What happened to your bike?
B: I ran into a tree while riding too fast.

Common mistake

Not: He ran into ~~with~~ a tree.

Say: He ran into a tree.

'Run into' takes the object directly — no 'with'.

More on “hit or collide with”Another example · Tell it apart · Goes with · Tip

Another example

On my way to work, I nearly ran into another car because the roads were so slippery after the rain.

Tell it apart

He ran into a parked car.

crashed into it

He ran into an old friend.

met by chance

Goes with

run into + obstacle

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Next meaning: encounter difficulties

Meaning 3

encounter difficulties

run into problems/difficulties/obstacles/trouble

to unexpectedly experience or face problems, difficulties, or obstacles, especially in a project, process, or plan.

How oftenCommon

LevelC1

Used inSpeech & writing

Examples

The company ran into financial difficulties after the market crash.

A: How's the renovation going?
B: We ran into some unexpected issues with the wiring, so it's taking longer than planned.

Common mistake

Not: We ran into ~~with~~ some problems.

Say: We ran into some problems.

'Run into' takes the object directly — no 'with'.

More on “encounter difficulties”Another example · Tell it apart · Goes with · Tip

Another example

Many students run into problems when adapting to a new educational system, particularly if the teaching style is very different from what they are used to.

Tell it apart

We ran into trouble halfway through.

hit problems

We ran out of time halfway through.

had none left

Goes with

run into + trouble

Practice saying this

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meet by chance hit or collide with encounter difficulties