to bump

Examples

• All

• "Both of us went to Penn and bumped into each other a few times over the years.

  Fiction book (1992)

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

  Everyone Says I Love You (1996)

• Why would you give this guy, a guy you bump into the street, your number?

• We just finished lunch and we bump into Ivan.

• Anyway, I bumped into her today.

  Material (2012)

• Um, we just bumped into each other changing planes.

  What Happens Later (2023)

• There's someone I bumped into on the plane on the way over here.

  Goal! (2005)

• So I and I just bumped into Lily at Cafe Damon.

• We accidentally traded voxes the other day when we bumped into each other.

  Galaxy Quest (1999)

• I was surprised to bump into my old teacher at the bookstore yesterday.

Synonyms

F

to find

vsto bump

∞ 1.0

To discover something while looking or by accident

is specifically about meeting a person unexpectedly without searching

R

to run into

vsto bump

556 2.7

Meet someone by chance without planning

is the broader word for an unplanned or accidental meeting

E

to encounter

vsto bump

406 3.2

To meet someone or find a problem unexpectedly

is more specifically about meeting a person by accident

C

to come across

vsto bump

289 2.6

To find something or someone by chance

focuses on unplanned social meeting rather than discovery

S

to stumble

vsto bump

189 2.8

To find something by chance

is used more for accidental meetings rather than accidental discovery

B

to bump into

vsto bump

112 2.2

To meet someone by chance in a public place

is the general unexpected meeting not limited to public places

C

to cross paths

vsto bump

• Informal

48 3.7

Meet someone by chance

covers any unexpected meeting, not only sharing the same area

R

to run across

vsto bump

39 2.7

Find something by chance while doing something else

refers to unplanned social meeting, not discovery during action

C

to chance on

vsto bump

25 6.1

To find something or someone by accident while doing something else

names the ordinary accidental meeting rather than chance discovery

H

to happen upon

vsto bump

18 4.9

Find a person or thing by chance

is the common term for an accidental personal meeting

C

to chance upon

vsto bump

4 5.1

Find someone or something by accident

is the everyday word for meeting someone by accident

C

to cross one's path

vsto bump

1 4.2

To meet someone unexpectedly, often by chance

describes an accidental meeting without the brief appearance focus

Idioms

B

bump in the road

• Informal

20 3.7

A small problem that slows progress for a short time

Phrasal Verbs

B

to bump into

112 2.2

To meet someone by chance in a public place

B

to bump into

35 2.1

To hit someone or something by accident while moving

B

to bump up

33 3.4

To raise prices or amounts by a lot

B

to bump off

• Offensive

11 9.3

To kill someone on purpose, usually secretly and as part of a crime

H

to hit a bump

4 5.8

Face a problem that slows progress or makes things harder

B

to bump around

1 4.2

To move in a rough, unsteady way while being knocked or pushed

B

to bump up the budget

1 3.9

To increase the money available for a project or plan

B

to bump up the volume

1 3.4

Make the sound louder by turning the volume control

B

to bump purse

• Slang

9.8

To share the cost of something by paying together

Compounds

G

goose bump

• US

27 3.0

A small raised spot on your skin when you feel cold, scared, or excited

S

speed bump

16 2.5

A raised strip across a road that makes cars slow down

S

speed bump

• Informal

10 3.2

A problem that slows progress in a project

B

bump in the schedule

5.9

A small unexpected delay in a planned schedule

How Unexpected

to bump

118 2.8

to come across

289 2.6

to meet

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Etymology