Meaning & use
our paths crossed
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Meanings
phraseidiom
We happened to meet, usually by chance and often only briefly.
Grammar: A complete clause in the past tense; the possessive can change, as in 'their paths crossed'.
Patterns
- our paths crossed at something
- our paths crossed again
- our paths crossed in a place
Our paths crossed at a conference in Berlin last spring.
We never planned to meet; our paths just crossed at the airport.
Our paths crossed again years later when we both joined the same company.
phraseidiomfigurative
Two people's lives or careers came into contact for a while, often with some effect.
Grammar: Used about longer contact, not a single meeting; often with 'again' or a time phrase.
Patterns
- our paths crossed for a while
- our paths crossed early in our careers
Our paths crossed for a few months when we worked on the same project.
Our paths crossed early in our careers, and we have stayed in touch since.
Common combinations
- paths cross
- It is strange how paths cross when you least expect it.
- our paths crossed again
- Our paths crossed again at a wedding ten years later.
- our paths crossed briefly
- Our paths crossed briefly in the hallway.
- chance that our paths crossed
- It was pure chance that our paths crossed that day.
Synonyms and how they differ
- run into someone
- Focuses on the single moment of meeting, while 'our paths crossed' suggests a chance encounter that may be part of a longer story.
- bump into someone
- Informal and usually means a short, accidental meeting; 'our paths crossed' sounds slightly more literary.
- meet
- Neutral and can be planned; 'our paths crossed' always suggests it was not arranged.
Commonly confused: our paths crossed or cross paths?
our paths crossed vs cross paths
The usual verb phrase is 'cross paths with someone' ('I crossed paths with her in Rome'); 'our paths crossed' is the same idea with 'paths' as the subject.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Our paths crossed' is the fixed clause: 'paths' is the subject and 'crossed' is its past-tense verb. Option 0 wrongly makes 'we' the subject of 'crossed our paths', and option 2 uses a passive that the idiom does not take.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “our paths crossed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.