Does "Run into" mean "hit" too?
do you use "run into" to mean hit someone on the road with a car?

E.g. The driver ran into a girl who stood at the bus stop.

It's synonym of "hit", right? It doesnt only mean "meet by chance", right?

Thank you.

Question

Does "Run into" mean "hit" too?
do you use "run into" to mean hit someone on the road with a car?

E.g. The driver ran into a girl who stood at the bus stop.

It's synonym of "hit", right? It doesnt only mean "meet by chance", right?

Thank you.

Answer

Yes, we do. This is a normal use of the two words. Your example means he was travelling at speed and he collided with the girl.  It means what it says: 'ran' indicates the speed of movement and 'into' the force of the impact with the victim.

In fact, this is the literal meaning of 'run into + object'. It's the same as 'drive into + object' or 'crash into + object', as opposed to the "meet by chance" meaning, which is more figurative.

Answer

Yes, it can be used like that. But, there are several other ways of using it as well.

Following are a few examples where it can be used:

1) Meet someone by chance.
2) Refer to a collision.
3) Take someone to some place.

Refer to the following link for more information: https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/run+into