Met vs Ran into

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

Met

Top 1,000 (very common)

Ran into

Top 2,000 (common)

Most common: Met

	Met	Ran into
Pronunciation	🇬🇧 //mɛt// 🇺🇸 //mɛt//	🇬🇧 //ræn ˈɪntuː// 🇺🇸 //ræn ˈɪntu//
Meaning	The past tense of meet; to have come together with someone.	Met someone unexpectedly.
Example	I first met her at the conference last year.	I ran into my old school friend at the mall.
Register	Neutral	Neutral
How common	Top 1,000 (very common)	Top 2,000 (common)
Collocations	met for lunch, met face-to-face, met each other's eyes, met their needs	ran into trouble, ran into issues, ran into someone, ran into old friends
Antonyms	missed, avoided	-
Common mistakes	Confusing 'met' with 'meet' in present tense sentences., Using 'met' when referring to future meetings., Incorrectly using 'met' for one-time meetings instead of repeated encounters.	Confused with 'ran on' meaning to have a long duration., Used incorrectly with non-people objects., Misunderstood as a planned meeting.
Usage notes	Use 'met' in both formal and casual contexts. It's common in narratives but avoid using it in highly formal writing.	Used in casual conversations to describe unexpected meetings. Avoid in formal writing or contexts.

See it in real clips

The Lord Of The Rings › The return of the king

You've met him before.

Sherlock › S1 E1

We've only just met and we're going to go and look at a flat?

And I met the President of the United States, again.

The Lord Of The Rings › The return of the king

You've met him before.

Sherlock › S1 E1

We've only just met and we're going to go and look at a flat?

Met

ran into a Colonel who was gathering up men to go to Ramelle.

Ran into

Frequently asked questions: Met vs Ran into

What's the difference between Met and Ran into?

Met: The past tense of meet; to have come together with someone. Ran into: Met someone unexpectedly.

Which is more common: Met and Ran into?

Met is the most common in everyday English.

Can you show an example of each?

Met: I first met her at the conference last year. Ran into: I ran into my old school friend at the mall.

Can I use Met and Ran into interchangeably?

Not always. Met and Ran into are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.