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Synonyms

bump into

British  

verb

  1. informal (intr, preposition) to meet by chance; encounter unexpectedly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
bump into Idioms  

  1. Also, bump against . Collide, come in contact with; same as bang into . For example, It's easy to bump into furniture in the dark . [Mid-1800s]

  2. Encounter, meet by chance, as in While I was downtown, I bumped into George . [ Colloquial ; 1880s] Also see run into .

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The incident started during a stop in action with 5:39 remaining in the fourth quarter when Harris appeared to bump into Hueston from behind underneath the basket.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

When Los Angeles was bidding for the Olympics, Wasserman flew around the world so that he could bump into International Olympic Committee officials, according to people familiar with the situation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

“What are you going to do if you bump into an ICE agent who is not having a good day and decides to profile you?” her parents ask her.

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2026

"That is quite intriguing to people because what you tend to find when you bump into famous people in the Cotswolds is they're very much on their best behaviour," Llewelyn-Bowen whispered.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

With my head down, I nearly bump into Clem standing in the doorway of the library.

From "Finding Langston" by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.