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Glite Dictionary
👋 To meet by chance 🤕 To hit accidentally
to bump into

to bump into

112 2.2
To meet someone by chance in a public place
  • phrasal verb
  • /bʌmp ˈɪntu/
: encontrarse con
  • Nothing big, but you always bump into someone surprising and have a good time.
  • bump into each other
  • bump into a friend
  • bump into people

So on the day, on this night, I've bumped into Big Jim, my mate.

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Examples

  • Would you ask her to give me a call, if you happen to bump into her?

    Crocodile Dundee II (1988)

  • We just finished lunch and we bump into Ivan.

  • So later that evening, we bump into her again.

    BFFs: Josh Richards & Bri Chickenfry

  • You could go and bump into her and meet her.

    Everyone Says I Love You (1996)

  • Sooner or later he would bump into the guy who hit his car.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The reporters still talk about the case whenever they bump into each other.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Once in a while, I even bump into former students of mine from Carver.

    Election (1999)

  • When the dance ended, I edged through the crowd and bumped into him by accident from behind.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The reason I asked about Alan is that I bumped into him this morning, and... - You know what I can't figure out?

    Fletch (1985)

  • While I was shopping, I bump into an old friend I hadn't seen in years.

Synonyms

to run into
vsto bump into
556 2.7

Meet someone by chance without planning

is the same idea but emphasizes casual public encounters rather than formal meetings
to come across
vsto bump into
289 2.6

To find something or someone by chance

leans more toward accidental public meetings with people than general findings
to stumble
vsto bump into
189 2.8

To find something by chance

suggests public chance meetings more specifically rather than accidental discoveries
to bump
vsto bump into
118 2.8

To meet someone by chance while you are out

focuses on chance meeting in public rather than accidental physical contact
to walk into
vsto bump into
96 3.5

To accidentally become involved in a situation you did not plan

focuses on simple chance meetings in public, not accidental involvement in events
to cross paths
vsto bump into
  • Informal
48 3.7

Meet someone by chance

is more about casual chance meetings in public rather than brief crossings
to run across
vsto bump into
39 2.7

Find something by chance while doing something else

is narrower, focusing on meeting people unexpectedly in public settings
to happen upon
vsto bump into
18 4.9

Find a person or thing by chance

is similar but usually stresses public chance encounters rather than discoveries
to chance upon
vsto bump into
4 5.1

Find someone or something by accident

applies more to casual public meetings rather than accidental discoveries broadly
to cross one's path
vsto bump into
1 4.2

To meet someone unexpectedly, often by chance

highlights everyday public chance meetings rather than just passing by once

Antonyms

to avoid
∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

How Unexpected

to bump into
112 2.2
to come across
289 2.6
to meet
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

bump into infinitive
bumped into past
bumped into past participle
bumping into present participle
bumps into third person singular

Morphology

bump + into

The sense 'meet by chance' is a clear extension of the literal meanings: 'bump' (to collide/encounter) plus 'into' (movement toward/against) make the idea of unexpectedly encountering someone inferable. However, the meaning relies on a metaphorical extension from physical collision to accidental meeting and on recognizing the verb+preposition construction, so it is not fully predictable for all B1 learners without prior exposure.

Etymology

Bump into also comes from that same accidental touch: imagine you walk and briefly hit someone and then start talking to them. So the phrase came to mean 'meet by chance'.