encounter1 verbencounter2 noun
encounteren‧coun‧ter1 /ɪnˈkaʊntə $ -ər/ ●●○ W3 AWL verb [transitive] 
WORD ORIGINencounter1
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French encontrer, from Late Latin incontra ‘toward’VERB TABLE
encounter
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | encounter |
| he, she, it | encounters | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | encountered |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have encountered |
| he, she, it | has encountered | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had encountered |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will encounter |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have encountered |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am encountering |
| he, she, it | is encountering | |
| you, we, they | are encountering | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was encountering |
| you, we, they | were encountering | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been encountering |
| he, she, it | has been encountering | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been encountering |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be encountering |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been encountering |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Drivers on the M25 are likely to encounter fog and black ice tonight.
- He encountered the young woman as she was leaving a coffee shop.
- If your dog encounters poison oak, do not pet it until you clean its fur.
- It was rare that she encountered interesting people through her work.
- Many of the children encountered some difficulty in learning the material.
- Matheu's efforts to establish the clinic encountered a number of setbacks.
- The government has encountered strong opposition over its plans to build a new airport.
- All three dialed up without encountering any busy signals when tested Thursday morning.
- An attempt by Bandai to break into the game player business has encountered even more problems.
- He was a famous painter once more now, not simply a local eccentric to encounter on the beach.
- It was on that second voyage he encountered the Odonata.
- On the way to town, the soldiers encountered a group of white policemen and shot two of them.
- One encounters a comparatively congenial Schoenberg here.
- Other abbreviations are encountered in some thesauri.
- This, incidentally, could help with the problem encountered earlier of incorporating unusual crimes such as child abuse in the postclassical perspective.
Longman Language Activatorto meet someone by chance
to see someone by chance and talk to them: · I met Jill at the bus stop this morning.· You'll never guess who I met yesterday!· Ron's changed so much, you probably wouldn't recognize him if you met him on the street.
informal to meet someone that you know, by chance: · I'm glad I bumped into you. I wanted to ask you about tomorrow's history test.· I'm sorry I'm late - I ran into an old colleague I hadn't seen for ages.· She's always running into friends that she knows from school.
especially spoken, informal to meet someone by chance: · I saw Penny in town today.· If you see Ted, could you tell him I want to talk to him?
formal to meet someone by chance, especially someone you do not already know: · It was rare that she encountered interesting people through her work.· He encountered the young woman as she was leaving a coffee shop.
to meet other people, especially other people who do the same work as you do, in order to share information, help each other etc: · The conference provided some excellent opportunities for networking and she made some useful business contacts.
to have a problem · If you have any problems, just come and ask me.· I had a few problems getting the copier to work.have a problem with · I'm having a bit of a problem with my dishwasher.· One landowner says he has never had any problems with hikers crossing his property.· Jane can be quite difficult to get on with -- I've had one or two problems with her in the past.
to have problems that make it more difficult to do something: · You look as if you're having trouble -- do you want any help?have trouble/difficulty with: · I had some trouble with the car this morning.· She's having a little difficulty with her spelling.have trouble/difficulty doing something: · He had a lot of trouble finding a job.· The child was having difficulty breathing.
to have serious problems: · It's clear from these figures that the company is in trouble.· When someone's in trouble it's natural to try and help them.get into trouble (=start having serious problems): · I took out a loan but got into trouble when I lost my job.in deep/serious/big trouble (=have very serious problems): · Consular officers can help and advise you if you are in any serious trouble while abroad.
to have a lot of problems or a lot of difficulty doing something: · Premature babies have a hard time even under the best of circumstances.have a hard time doing something: · A lot of people are having a hard time making ends meet.· Anyone calling the 202 area code this weekend had a hard time getting through.
to have a problem, a difficult choice, or the possibility of something bad happening soon: · We are often faced with dilemmas or problems which have no easy answers.· Manufacturing industries are faced with decreasing productivity and increasing international competition.· When faced with an unfamiliar word, good readers are able to make guesses based on the meaning and structure of the sentence.
to have a difficult problem or opponent that you must deal with or fight against: · The company is up against tough competition from abroad.· When you're surfing and get hit by a wave, it's a reminder of what you're up against.· In the semi-finals he will be up against one of the best players in the game.
to start having problems or difficulties that you have to deal with: · Older people applying for jobs come up against an age barrier.· The committee found itself coming up against the prejudices of many staff when it tried to introduce new working practices.
to experience problems, difficulties, or opposition while you are trying to do something: · Drivers on the M25 are likely to encounter fog and black ice tonight.· Many of the children encountered some difficulty in learning the material.· The government has encountered strong opposition over its plans to build a new airport.
to unexpectedly start having problems while you are doing something: · The corporation has run into serious financial problems.· Our staff will be happy to answer your questions should you run into difficulties installing the equipment yourself.
informal to have a lot of difficult problems to deal with or a lot of things to worry about: · Don't bother your mother -- she's got a lot on her plate at the moment.· Susan's had a lot on her plate recently, what with the car accident and everything.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
They encountered serious problems when two members of the expedition were injured. The government has encountered strong opposition to its plans to raise income tax.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES A chance meeting with a journalist changed everything.
1to experience something, especially problems or oppositionencounter problems/difficulties They encountered serious problems when two members of the expedition were injured. The government has encountered strong opposition to its plans to raise income tax. A chance meeting with a journalist changed everything. formal (=have difficulties)· Graduates often experience considerable difficulties in getting their first job.
(=find that there is an obstacle)· People should not encounter obstacles because of their age, sex, race, or religion.
(=find that there is opposition)· The police encountered little opposition, and restored order within the hour.
· Students with learning difficulties often encounter prejudice.
· You shouldn’t encounter any further problems.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· I first encountered the term in the 80s, when it was used to describe computing modules found in many applications.· I first encountered sushi in an expensive specialist restaurant.· He had first encountered it in darkness, with people passing in and out of it.· I first encountered them when I moved to Washington from West Virginia in 1961.· It was the reporters' first encounter with Bradlee on a Watergate story.
· The salaried partner is frequently encountered in modern solicitors' firms.· This observation follows a pattern frequently encountered in research in this area.· It also covers a selection of other contract clauses frequently encountered in many types of commercial agreement, for example confidentiality clauses.· Celibacy, or Bramacharya, is encountered frequently in Hindu lore and life.· Organic farming frequently encounters such philosophical problems.· The objections to truth-telling we most frequently encounter fall into four general categories.· This size is frequently encountered in contemporary Anatolian village rugs.· She said the most frequently encountered problem in meeting the franchise specification was the experience requirement for supervising non-qualified staff.
· It was, she considered, time Sarah was married, but she never encountered anyone suitable!· I have never encountered a more honorable man.· I have never encountered a better-run theatre.· The only criticism was one he had never encountered before: He was too restrained.· There was a grotesque inventiveness, a deliberate eccentricity in the idea of the cuckoo clock that Melanie had never encountered.· Despite the absence of an image-forming device, I guessed the lobes corresponded to eyes of a sort never encountered before.· He was very good-looking, very charming, and had a kind of city slickness she'd never encountered before.· The 4-year-old gelding had never encountered a sloppy track before, but took to it immediately.
· At present, one often encounters the argument that transformations in the economy are an emancipatory force for workers.· We will not consider any more complex tones, since these are not often encountered and are of little importance.· And I would always prefer that to the smooth and empty professionalism one so often encounters these days.· This problem is likely to be encountered often by decision makers wishing to assess the methodological quality of published studies.· She also outlined another misconception that could explain the suspicion research nurses often encounter among other nurses.· For example, salespeople of media space in newspapers which are given away free to the public often encounter the following objection.
· Musicianship of this quality is rarely encountered, and is quite exceptional from anyone's standpoint.· Bedford had grown up in a town where strangers were rarely encountered.· One suggestion is that males and females rarely encounter each other.· It may be noted, however, that disputes among solicitors as to what property belongs to their firm are comparatively rarely encountered.
NOUN· If difficulty is encountered, the normal result is that the input is disrupted in various ways.· Typical among them was the difficulty the Stagirite encountered in his attempt to explain the light emanating from the stars.· Outline the difficulties that might be encountered when relating Landsat imagery to conventional maps.· Perhaps the clearest indication of this was the difficulty he encountered in filling the job of finance minister in his new cabinet.· In the past great difficulty was encountered in persuading chimpanzees raised in zoos to mate successfully.· Second, the actual difficulties encountered overseas appeared to be of a considerably lower order of intensity than had been feared.· This case also illustrates the difficulties which can be encountered in carrying out treatment with adolescent self-poisoners.· It was without precedent in the United States, which explains the difficulties encountered by the preservationists.
· Even a government with substantial majority support would have encountered the same opposition.· You've probably never encountered opposition before, because you've deliberately gone after the weak who couldn't fight back.· They encountered no opposition though Ranulf maintained that he had seen a rider watching them as they crossed the bridge at Dalmeny.
· Our approach has worked satisfactorily for the problems we have encountered to date.· Various problems can be encountered if this is not the case.· At home Sean remained a reasonably pleasant child who tended to respond passively to the problems he encountered regarding schoolwork.· Porter first identifies the problem that will be encountered if one proceeds with portfolio planning without explicit management of these interdependencies.· And they could be a more powerful and intrusive problem than any you encountered in the corporate infighting of your previous job.· Further problems were encountered with the lexicon supplied with the second version.· Then turn them into positives by developing a set of positive answers for the problems you encountered.
· In recent months, Musharraf has narrowed the focus of his sweeping reform agenda as it encountered resistance from various interest groups.· But with every initiative, they encountered an undercurrent of resistance.· Her hands encountered no resistance, but found no way through the fog.· But his plan encountered resistance as soon as he got home.· Measures to prevent the competitive liberalization of consumer credit will encounter the heaviest resistance.· In attempting to implement the new policy via decree, Gordon had encountered strong patient resistance.
· Then they encounter an odd situation.· Stress and trauma Stress and trauma are encountered both in domestic situations and in the workplace.· Anticipating extremely high levels of anxiety, the person no longer encounters the original situation of the supermarket.· Alternatively, encountering the situations we fear most will turn on our stress taps rapidly.
They encountered serious problems when two members of the expedition were injured.encounter opposition/resistance The government has encountered strong opposition to its plans to raise income tax. The doctor had encountered several similar cases in the past.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say come across problems/difficulties rather than encounter problems/difficulties and come up against opposition/resistance rather than encounter opposition/resistance:· Did you come across any problems?· We came up against quite a lot of opposition from local people.2 formal to meet someone without planning to: I first encountered him when studying at Cambridge.encounter1 verbencounter2 noun
encounterencounter2 ●○○ AWL noun [countable] EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A bus ride from New York to Miami brings encounters with all kinds of people.
- A chance encounter in a restaurant led to her first movie role.
- He did not appear to remember our encounter last summer and just nodded when we were introduced.
- Brooke-Rose's engagement with feminist theory is typical of her encounter with literary theory in general.
- He would be no prettier after this encounter.
- Not all my encounters with the world of academic gamesmanship were so chilly.
- Once before, following another encounter, a brutal and terrifying encounter, she had recognized that.
- Rebelling against him and going their own way would risk another encounter with the deep.
- Then he analyzed tapes of those encounters in an acoustic laboratory at the National Zoo, set up to study bird calls.
- These evinced no embarrassment at the encounter.
- This, my first encounter with real racism came as a shock.
Longman Language Activatoran occasion when you meet someone, especially by chance
· Our first meeting was in January, and I didn't see Martin again till May or June.chance meeting (=one that happens completely by chance) · Her affair with Harmon started with a chance meeting followed by a few casual phone calls.
an unexpected meeting, which is often unpleasant: · He did not appear to remember our encounter last summer and just nodded when we were introduced.chance encounter (=one that happens completely by chance): · A chance encounter in a restaurant led to her first movie role.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY His first encounter with Wilson was back in 1989. Bernstein began training the young musician after a chance encounter at a concert (=a meeting that happened by chance). casual sexual encounters (=occasions when people have sex) a close encounter with a snake (=a frightening situation in which you get too close to something)COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES A chance meeting with a journalist changed everything.
1an occasion when you meet someone, or do something with someone you do not know: His first encounter with Wilson was back in 1989. Bernstein began training the young musician after a chance encounter at a concert (=a meeting that happened by chance). casual sexual encounters (=occasions when people have sex) a close encounter with a snake (=a frightening situation in which you get too close to something) A chance meeting with a journalist changed everything. formal (=have difficulties)· Graduates often experience considerable difficulties in getting their first job.
(=find that there is an obstacle)· People should not encounter obstacles because of their age, sex, race, or religion.
(=find that there is opposition)· The police encountered little opposition, and restored order within the hour.
· Students with learning difficulties often encounter prejudice.
· You shouldn’t encounter any further problems.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· Her brief encounter with the Sun had evidently had a bad influence on her.· Seven years of mutually mediocre diplomacy and unsteady leadership form the backdrop of Clinton's brief twilight encounter with Putin.· Could you afford a brief encounter?· That might explain what Dole is trying to gauge in the brief encounters along the campaign trail.· Despite his utterances during the brief encounter with Toby, Dominic had actually been surprised to be offered the job.· He believes Dan infected him during a brief encounter six years before, which Dan only dimly remembers.· Without that, no talks will ever amount to more than the briefest of encounters.· Beyond a few exceedingly brief encounters at dances attended by soldiers stationed around Barnard Castle, she apparently never had a romantic association.
· Robyn had two casual heterosexual encounters at this time, both one-night stands after rather drunken parties, both unsatisfactory.· Each of them is free to have casual encounters outside the strong arms of their love.· All the same, he appeared a pretty imperious figure on casual encounter.· However, casual or conspired encounters with the public are infrequent and a primary duty is to deliver court summonses and warrants.
· The designer's close encounter of severe illness had a profound influence on his scheme.· Retired Willcox schoolteacher Joe Duhon has had several close encounters with the Playa, but he keeps going back.· The pain is severe and no predator would risk a second close encounter with these snakes.· We also shared a cou-ple of close encounters with danger.· Bridgend 16, Neath 22 Close encounter.· In a close encounter last season, Gloucester pipped Northampton by 7 points to 6.· I've twice had close encounters of a nasty kind with flying lead.· Desert Orchid and a close encounter of the short kind.
· But this was her first personal encounter with such a craft.· This was my first personal encounter with Basil Rocke.
· Police officers had spent several weeks scanning videos of their previous encounters to identify trouble makers.· My previous encounter with Lucia had convinced me that she was an able student.· She said it had prompted more real conversation between them than she had achieved in all their previous encounters.· Milling, shut out in his previous encounter with Cal, had four points.· At that the Barnett contingent, already worked up from their previous encounter, began to hurl stones at the two brothers.
VERB· The field notes describe the encounter thus: A little boy appeared in the doorway.· Cooley describes how the encounter with the author happens.
· At home, crying, Howley remembered an encounter with a woman who had just run 10 miles.· It amazed the Comanche, who remembered that encounter for generations.
She didn’t remember our encounter last summer.encounter with His first encounter with Wilson was back in 1989. Bernstein began training the young musician after a chance encounter at a concert (=a meeting that happened by chance). casual sexual encounters (=occasions when people have sex)encounter between hostile encounters between supporters of rival football teams2an occasion when you meet or experience somethingencounter with a child’s first encounter with books a close encounter with a snake (=a frightening situation in which you get too close to something)