running across

phrase

present participle of run across
1
as in finding
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance She ran across an old friend at lunch.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in encountering
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face They ran across a bear while camping in the woods.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for running across
  1. running into
  2. bumping into
  3. running against
Phrase
  • The leash requirement is designed to promote public safety and help prevent dogs from running into traffic, approaching strangers without permission or interacting with other animals in unpredictable ways.
    — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026
  • In security video from the store, the suspects can be seen wearing masks, running into the store and jumping over the counter before grabbing vapes.
    — Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of running into
Phrase
  • Servants called flappers are required to shake rattles in their ears to keep them from falling or bumping into things.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Over the past few days, the people at the front of the lines have gradually moved closer and closer to the courtroom, to the point where the doors can barely open without bumping into a throng of people.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of bumping into
Phrase
  • Cofer is running against Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra for the seat to replace retiring Phil Serna.
    — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Mazzei is running against Oklahoma’s Democratic House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson.
    — Jill Colvin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of running against
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

running
running across
running after
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Running across.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/running%20across. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of adventitious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All