bump into
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Phrasal Verb: * To meet someone by chance: To encounter someone unexpectedly, without planning the meeting in advance. * To collide with something: To hit or strike against something, often with a jolt or impact.
Usage and Examples
- Meeting someone by chance:
- I bumped into an old friend from school at the supermarket yesterday.
- It's a small world; you never know who you might bump into.
- Colliding with something:
- The room was dark, and I bumped into the edge of the table.
- He wasn't looking where he was going and bumped into a lamppost.
Advanced Usage and Nuance
- The meaning is almost always clear from context. If the object is a person, it typically means a chance meeting. If the object is a physical object, it means a physical collision.
- For the "meet by chance" meaning, it is a very common and informal synonym for "encounter" or "run into."
- It can sometimes imply a brief, casual interaction rather than a long conversation.
Variants and Related Words
- Run into (someone): A very close synonym for the "meet by chance" meaning.
- Guess who I ran into at the cinema?
- Bump (verb): To hit or knock against something.
- She bumped her head on the low ceiling.
Synonyms
- Encounter: (more formal) To meet, especially unexpectedly.
- Come across: To find or meet by chance.
- Collide with: (for the physical meaning) To crash into.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Bump up: To increase or raise something, often suddenly.
- They had to bump up the prices due to inflation.
- Bump off: (slang) To murder someone.
- In the old gangster movie, the rival was bumped off.
Related Idioms
- A bump in the road: A minor problem or setback.
- Losing that client was just a bump in the road for the company.
Verb
- collide violently with an obstacle
- I ran into the telephone pole