encounter
1 of 2verb
en·coun·ter in-ˈkau̇n-tər 
en-
encountered; encountering in-ˈkau̇n-t(ə-)riŋ
en-
transitive verb
1
a
: to meet as an adversary or enemy
b
: to engage in conflict with
2
: to come upon face-to-face
3
: to come upon or experience especially unexpectedly
encounter difficulties
intransitive verb
: to meet especially by chance
encounter
2 of 2noun
1
: a meeting between hostile factions or persons : a sudden often violent clash
an encounter between the police and demonstrators
2
a
: a chance meeting
an accidental encounter
b
: a particular kind of meeting or experience with another person
a romantic encounter
3
: a coming into the vicinity of a celestial body
the Martian encounter of a spacecraft
Synonyms
Verb
- catch
- chance (upon)
- happen (upon)
- meet
- stumble (upon)
Noun
- brush
- hassle
- run-in
- scrape
- skirmish
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb We encountered problems early in the project. The pilot told us that we might encounter turbulence during the flight. Her suggestion has encountered a lot of opposition. Noun a chance encounter with a famous writer The tour boat had a close encounter with a breeching humpback whale. There was a violent encounter between fans of the opposing teams. It was her first encounter with cigarettes. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Karl Rove, WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022 That means there is a bigger chance people will encounter someone who is infected, Althoff said. Meredith Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 9 Sep. 2022 The delays are the latest that commuters will encounter on a transit system missing more than half of its fleet amid stagnant ridership growth. Teo Armus, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2022 If someone does encounter a bear, Hatcher's agency offers guidance: First, stay calm. Jeff Truesdell, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2022 The two venomous snake species found in Connecticut (timber rattlesnake and eastern copperhead) are not widely distributed, and most people are unlikely to encounter a venomous snake around their home. Hartford Courant, 30 July 2022 Those that do come will be treated to landscapes that feel utterly timeless and will be unlikely to encounter other people on their adventures, either. Joe Minihane, CNN, 14 July 2022 The White House has since confirmed the meeting with MBS, saying that Biden will encounter the crown prince as part of a bilateral meeting with Saudi King Salman and the country’s broader leadership team. Cleve R. Wootson Jr. And Tyler Pager, Anchorage Daily News, 14 July 2022 The three-toed box turtle is one of the most common turtles motorists will encounter in The Natural State. Arkansas Online, 20 June 2022 Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 25 Aug. 2022 But today, for kids like us -- the ones whose lives can truly be changed by an unexpected encounter with books -- connecting with that magic is getting unnecessarily harder. Issac Bailey, CNN, 24 Aug. 2022 After the encounter, Jarr complained of chest pains and was taken to a hospital but declined treatment, Moore said. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2022 After the initial encounter, both men continued driving toward Mattapan. Andrew Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Aug. 2022 In Thompson’s eighth novel, a young college dropout is working for a landscaper in Northern California and struggling to find purpose until her world is expanded by a chance encounter with a celebrated poet. New York Times, 22 July 2022 Scientists said the juvenile humpback whale that washed ashore at Sharp Park Beach in Pacifica over the weekend was likely killed by a deadly encounter with killer whales, officials said Monday. Jordan Parker, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 July 2022 Jax was clearly shocked by the encounter, as was fellow RHOBH cast member Crystal Kung-Minkoff, who attempted to diffuse the situation by walking Jax away from the women and back to his mother outside. Amethyst Tate, PEOPLE.com, 5 July 2022 In terms of the impact on those in need, Beleske continues to be empowered by a produce distribution encounter. John Benson, cleveland, 22 June 2022 See More
Verb
Democrats can keep spinning fantasies, but the problem is that voters will still encounter reality every day. Karl Rove, WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022 That means there is a bigger chance people will encounter someone who is infected, Althoff said. Meredith Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 9 Sep. 2022 The delays are the latest that commuters will encounter on a transit system missing more than half of its fleet amid stagnant ridership growth. Teo Armus, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2022 If someone does encounter a bear, Hatcher's agency offers guidance: First, stay calm. Jeff Truesdell, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2022 The two venomous snake species found in Connecticut (timber rattlesnake and eastern copperhead) are not widely distributed, and most people are unlikely to encounter a venomous snake around their home. Hartford Courant, 30 July 2022 Those that do come will be treated to landscapes that feel utterly timeless and will be unlikely to encounter other people on their adventures, either. Joe Minihane, CNN, 14 July 2022 The White House has since confirmed the meeting with MBS, saying that Biden will encounter the crown prince as part of a bilateral meeting with Saudi King Salman and the country’s broader leadership team. Cleve R. Wootson Jr. And Tyler Pager, Anchorage Daily News, 14 July 2022 The three-toed box turtle is one of the most common turtles motorists will encounter in The Natural State. Arkansas Online, 20 June 2022 Noun
Osbourne decided to stop taking acid after an encounter with a horse in England. Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 25 Aug. 2022 But today, for kids like us -- the ones whose lives can truly be changed by an unexpected encounter with books -- connecting with that magic is getting unnecessarily harder. Issac Bailey, CNN, 24 Aug. 2022 After the encounter, Jarr complained of chest pains and was taken to a hospital but declined treatment, Moore said. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2022 After the initial encounter, both men continued driving toward Mattapan. Andrew Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Aug. 2022 In Thompson’s eighth novel, a young college dropout is working for a landscaper in Northern California and struggling to find purpose until her world is expanded by a chance encounter with a celebrated poet. New York Times, 22 July 2022 Scientists said the juvenile humpback whale that washed ashore at Sharp Park Beach in Pacifica over the weekend was likely killed by a deadly encounter with killer whales, officials said Monday. Jordan Parker, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 July 2022 Jax was clearly shocked by the encounter, as was fellow RHOBH cast member Crystal Kung-Minkoff, who attempted to diffuse the situation by walking Jax away from the women and back to his mother outside. Amethyst Tate, PEOPLE.com, 5 July 2022 In terms of the impact on those in need, Beleske continues to be empowered by a produce distribution encounter. John Benson, cleveland, 22 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English encountren, from Anglo-French encuntrer, from Medieval Latin incontrare, from Late Latin incontra toward, from Latin in- + contra against — more at counter
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing encounter
Kids Definition
encounter 1 of 2
verb
en·coun·ter in-ˈkau̇n-tər
encountered; encountering
1
: to meet face-to-face or by chance
I encountered an old friend.
2
: to experience or face often unexpectedly
Have you encountered any difficulty?
encounter
2 of 2noun
1
: a meeting face-to-face and often by chance
2
: an often unexpected experience It was his first encounter with fame.
encounter 1 of 2
verb
1
as in to meet
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face quite unexpectedly encountered our next-door neighbor while vacationing in Europe Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- meet
- confront
- greet
- catch
- run upon
- run into
- bump into
- run across
- accost
- face
- stumble (upon)
- reencounter
- cross paths (with)
- happen (upon)
- cross
- chance (upon)
- salute
- pass
- remeet
- crisscross
- crash (into)
- collide (with)
- tumble (to)
- hit (upon)
- light (upon)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- avoid
- escape
- evade
- shake
- elude
- dodge
- shun
- duck
2
as in to find
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance we encountered a host of unforeseen problems during the restoration of our 200-year-old house Synonyms & Similar Words
- find
- meet
- run against
- run upon
- come across
- run into
- confront
- run across
- face
- bump into
- discover
- stumble (on or onto)
- tumble (upon)
- hit (upon)
- pitch (upon)
- happen (on or upon)
- chance (upon)
- light (on or upon)
- turn up
- luck (out, on, onto, or into)
- strike
3
as in to face
to enter into contest or conflict with the troops encountered bands of guerrilla fighters as they made their way across the desert Synonyms & Similar Words
- face
- meet
- battle
- engage
- fight
- take on
- contend
- rival
- emulate
- oppose
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- escape
- evade
- elude
- retreat
encounter
2 of 2noun
as in skirmish
a brief clash between enemies or rivals survived an encounter with the school bully at the local park Synonyms & Similar Words
- skirmish
- run-in
- brush
- fight
- brawl
- quarrel
- battle
- argument
- spat
- squabble
- scrape
- hassle
- tiff
- wrangle
- row
- fray