run into
Britishverb
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(also tr) to collide with or cause to collide with
her car ran into a tree
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to encounter unexpectedly
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(also tr) to be beset by or cause to be beset by
the project ran into financial difficulties
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to extend to; be of the order of
debts running into thousands
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Meet or find by chance, as in I ran into an old friend at the concert . [c. 1900]
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See run against , def. 1.
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Collide with, as in The car ran straight into the retaining wall . [c. 1800]
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Incur, as in We've run into extra expenses with the renovation , or James said they've run into debt . [c. 1400]
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Mount up, increase to, as in Her book may well run into a second volume .
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Follow without interruption, as in What with one day running into the next, we never knew just what day it was! or He spoke so fast his words ran into one another . [Late 1600s] Also see run into a stone wall ; run into the ground .
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 back straight and bends are usually cheaper at major track meets because the view of races is regarded as worse than the home straight, where tickets can often run into hundreds of pounds.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
"The first chip is incredibly expensive because you have to build a factory first -— an investment that can run into the billions of euros. Once production is up and running, unit costs drop sharply."
From Barron's • Jul. 2, 2026
The project, unveiled in 2021, had run into environmental objections, cost overruns and a lack of buyers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
He’s experimented with formations and tactics, shaken up his roster and motivated players by demanding to know why they can’t make a deep run into this World Cup.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
They run into the living room, they run through the front door, slamming it shut, they rush out onto the wide open porch.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
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.
