to cross one's path

Examples

• All

• I was surprised to cross my path with an old friend while shopping downtown.

• You never know who might cross your path when you travel to new places.

• She crossed his path at the conference and they reconnected after many years.

• He was happy to cross his path with his favorite author at the book signing event.

• It was a coincidence to cross her path again after all those years.

Synonyms

R

to run into

vsto cross one's path

338 2.7

Meet someone by chance without planning

is the broader phrase for any unexpected meeting, not only people

C

to come across

vsto cross one's path

244 2.6

To find something or someone by chance

is mainly about meeting people unexpectedly rather than general discovery

W

to walk into

vsto cross one's path

211 3.5

To accidentally become involved in a situation you did not plan

is specifically about meeting someone unexpectedly rather than involvement

S

to stumble

vsto cross one's path

171 2.8

To find something by chance

is used more for meeting people in passing rather than broad finding

B

to bump

vsto cross one's path

153 2.8

To meet someone by chance while you are out

focuses on unplanned encounters but is more specific to meeting people

B

to bump into

vsto cross one's path

55 2.2

To meet someone by chance in a public place

applies to unexpected meetings in any place, not only public ones

C

to come upon

vsto cross one's path

50 2.2

To find something or someone by chance

focuses on meeting a person unexpectedly rather than general finding

R

to run across

vsto cross one's path

43 2.7

Find something by chance while doing something else

centres on unexpected meetings rather than general finding while active

C

to cross paths

vsto cross one's path

• Informal

32 3.7

Meet someone by chance

has identical meaning but uses a different grammatical form

C

to chance on

vsto cross one's path

18 6.1

To find something or someone by accident while doing something else

emphasizes encountering people by chance rather than lucky discovery

H

to happen upon

vsto cross one's path

15 4.9

Find a person or thing by chance

stresses meeting someone by chance more than general finding

C

to chance upon

vsto cross one's path

3 5.1

Find someone or something by accident

is the same idea but used more for meeting people by chance

H

to happen along

vsto cross one's path

1 5.8

To find a person or thing by chance while you are going somewhere

describes unexpected meetings rather than accidental arrival at a place

How Unexpected

to cross one's path

4.2

to run into

338 2.7

encounter

215 3.1

to meet

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology