runins

Run-in (plural run-ins) is a noun meaning a brief, often tense encounter or clash between people, or between a person and an object or situation. The term is informal and commonly used in everyday English to describe a short, sometimes disruptive interaction. Examples include a run-in with a coworker, a run-in with the police, or a run-in with a door that was left ajar.

Origin and form: the noun derives from the idea of “running into” someone or something. The standard written forms are run-in or run-ins, with the plural typically hyphenated as run-ins. In some contexts, especially headlines or stylized text, you may see the word written without a hyphen as runins, though this is less common and often considered nonstandard in formal writing.

Usage and nuance: run-ins generally refer to a single event rather than an ongoing relationship. They can be physical collisions, such as a vehicle’s run-in with a curb, or verbal confrontations, such as a run-in with a supervisor. In more formal writing, terms like altercation, confrontation, or encounter may be preferred, whereas run-in conveys a casual or colloquial tone.

In everyday language, the phrase “to have a run-in with” is widely used, as in “She had a run-in with a border guard,” or “They had a run-in on the field.” Related terms include encounter, clash, altercation, and dispute.