run into — meet by chance
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to meet someone unexpectedly, usually by accident.
Say it like a native
Textbook I encountered an old acquaintance at the supermarket.
Native I ran into an old friend at the shop.
'Run into' is the everyday verb for meeting someone by chance; 'encountered an acquaintance' is formal.
Pattern: run into + someone
In use
- I ran into my old teacher at the supermarket yesterday.daily life
- 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.IELTS speaking
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'.
Common collocations
run into + person— an old friend, my neighbour, him, someone I knew
Don't confuse it
'Run into' (meet by chance) is different from 'meet up with', which usually means you planned to meet.
Related
- run into (hit or collide with) — Another meaning of 'run into' is 'hit or collide with'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.