| Phrasal verb | Main meaning |
|---|---|
bump into [bʌmp ˈɪntuː] | to meet someone unexpectedly |
Other meanings
- to encounter or discover something by chance
- to cause something to hit or move into something else (as in bump something into something)
Example Sentences Using the Phrasal Verb "bump into"
- I bumped into Sarah at the supermarket yesterday.
- We bumped into some old friends at the concert.
- Be careful not to let the stroller bump into the shelves.
- During testing we bumped into several unexpected errors.
Features of Using "bump into"
This is a prepositional (inseparable) phrasal verb: the object comes after the preposition into (You say “bumped into her”, not “bumped her into”). It is commonly used in informal registers and can be used both literally (physical collision) and figuratively (meet/encounter by chance). There is a related causative literal pattern — bump X into Y — meaning “cause X to hit or move into Y”; that construction differs slightly from the idiomatic “bump into someone” meaning “meet unexpectedly.”