bump into

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

bump into verb

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

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

bump /bʌmp/   v. 

1. to come into contact with;
   collide with: [~ + object]
   The car bumped a truck.
   [~ + against + object]
   The car bumped against a tree.
   [~ + into + object]
   She bumped into me.
2. to cause to strike or collide:
   [~ + object] I bumped my arm.
3. Informal Terms Informal. to remove or dismiss:
   [~ + object] The airline bumped me from the flight.
4. [no object] to proceed in a series of jolts or rough, uncomfortable shaking:
   The old car bumped down the road.
5. Informal Terms bump into, [~ + into + object] to meet by chance:
   I bumped into her on the way home.
6. Slang Terms bump off, Slang. to murder: [~ + off + object]
   planned to bump off the mobster.
   [~ + object + off]
   planned to bump him off.

n. [countable]

7. a collision;
   blow:
   The ship came into the dock with a slight bump.
8. a swelling or raised bruise from a blow:
   He got a bump on the head.
9. a small, uneven area raised above the level of the surrounding surface:
   many bumps on the road.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bump  (bump), v.t. 

1. to come more or less violently in contact with;
   collide with;
   strike:
   His car bumped a truck.
2. to cause to strike or collide:
   He bumped the car against a tree.
3. to dislodge or displace by the force of collision.
4. Informal Terms to dislodge;
   to appropriate the privileges of:
   When the general found there were no additional seats on the plane, he bumped a major. The airline bumped me from the flight.
5. to demote, promote, or dismiss:
   He was bumped from his job.
6. Informal Terms to force upward;
   raise:
   Demand from abroad bumped the price of corn.
7. Games [Poker.] raise (def. 24).

v.i. 

8. to come in contact or collide with (often fol. by against or into):
   She bumped into me.
9. to bounce along;
   proceed in a series of jolts:
   The old car bumped down the road.
10. Music and Dance to dance by thrusting the pelvis forward abruptly, in a provocative manner, esp. to the accompaniment of an accented musical beat. Cf. grind (def. 13).
11. to boil with violent jolts caused by the sudden eruption of large bubbles through the surface.
12. Informal Terms bump into, to meet by chance:
    I bumped into an old friend yesterday.
13. bump off, [Slang.] to kill, esp. to murder:
    They bumped him off because he knew too much.

n. 

14. an act or instance of bumping;
    collision;
    blow.
15. the shock of a blow or collision.
16. a swelling or contusion from a blow.
17. a small area raised above the level of the surrounding surface;
    protuberance:
    He tripped over a bump on a road.
18. Informal Terms a promotion or demotion;
    transfer to a higher or lower level:
    He got a bump to vice president of the company.
19. Informal Terms an increase in amount, esp. of salary or a wager:
    He asked the boss for a ten-dollar bump.
20. Aeronautics a rapidly rising current of air that gives an airplane a severe upward thrust.
21. Music and Dance a dance movement in which the pelvis is abruptly thrust forward in a provocative manner, esp. to the accompaniment of an accented musical beat. Cf. grind (def. 20).
22. Mining crump (def. 6).

• imitative 1560–70

bump′ing•ly, adv.