bump into
Meet by accident
To bump into someone is to encounter them by chance: I bumped into my old professor at the grocery store.
The phrase evokes the image of physically colliding with someone—an apt metaphor for unexpected meetings.
It can also mean to literally collide with something: I bumped into the table in the dark.
Find accidentally
- stumble uponFind unexpectedly
- happen uponEncounter unexpectedly
- meetCome into contact
- chance uponFind unexpectedly
find · spot · recognize · encounter · cross paths · catch sight of · discover · notice
Sudden violent impact
- collideStrike with force
- knockStrike-produced sound
- hitSuccessful contact or strike
- slamForceful impact or closure
bang · jolt · jostle · elbow · nudge · shove · brush · graze
Unplanned matching of events
- serendipityAccidental fortunate discovery
- happenstanceUnplanned circumstance
- flukeChance stroke of luck
- luckChance affecting outcomes
randomness · fate · kismet · fortuity · unplanned · unexpected · surprise · random
come across
Find accidentally
- stumble uponFind unexpectedly
- happen uponEncounter unexpectedly
- meetCome into contact
chance upon · find · spot · recognize · encounter · cross paths · catch sight of · discover · notice · reunite
crash
Sudden violent impact
slam · bang · jolt · jostle · elbow · nudge · shove · brush · graze · clip
coincidence
Unplanned matching of events
- serendipityAccidental fortunate discovery
- happenstanceUnplanned circumstance
- flukeChance stroke of luck
luck · randomness · fate · kismet · fortuity · unplanned · unexpected · surprise · random · twist of fate
- encountersencounter, meeting, chance encounter, run-in, close encounter
- meeting actionsmeet, encounter, greet, approach, come across
- clumsinessclumsiness, clumsy, awkwardness, fumble, stumble
- discoveryfind, finding, discovery, discover, finding out
- coincidencescoincidence, happenstance, fluke, serendipity, synchronicity
- everyday mistakesslip, typos, trip, spelling errors, fall
bump intoprearrange
Plan something in advance
summon · convene · send for · seek out · track down
bump, into, bumpy, bumper, bumps, bumping, bumped, bumptious, bumper-to-bumper