to meet someone unexpectedly, usually by accident.
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!
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.
Common mistake
✗I ran into with my teacher in town.
✓I ran into my teacher in town.
'Run into' takes the person directly — no 'with'.
Tell it apart
I ran into Sam in town.
met by chance
I met up with Sam in town.
arranged it in advance
This phrasal verb is often used when you see someone you know in a public place without planning it.'Run into' (meet by chance) is different from 'meet up with', which usually means you planned to meet.
to accidentally hit or crash into something or someone while moving.
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.
On my way to work, I nearly ran into another car because the roads were so slippery after the rain.
Common mistake
✗He ran into with a tree.
✓He ran into a tree.
'Run into' takes the object directly — no 'with'.
Tell it apart
He ran into a parked car.
crashed into it
He ran into an old friend.
met by chance
This sense is often used when talking about cars, bikes, or people accidentally hitting something.'Run into' (collide) is different from 'run over', which means to drive over something or someone.
C1run into problems/difficulties/obstacles/trouble
to unexpectedly experience or face problems, difficulties, or obstacles, especially in a project, process, or plan.
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.
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.
Common mistake
✗We ran into with some problems.
✓We ran into some problems.
'Run into' takes the object directly — no 'with'.
Tell it apart
We ran into trouble halfway through.
hit problems
We ran out of time halfway through.
had none left
'Run into' in this sense is used in both spoken and written English to describe encountering difficulties or obstacles, often unexpectedly. It is more idiomatic and natural than simply saying 'have problems', especially in formal or semi-formal contexts.This sense is figurative and refers to encountering abstract problems or difficulties, not physically meeting someone (sense 1) or colliding with something (sense 2).