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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encounter
Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 6 Feb. 2026
Should drivers encounter snow plows on the road, the county asks to give them plenty of space and do not crowd or pass the plow.
—Cheryl Vari, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Feb. 2026
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
The edited footage, posted online without a news conference from either police department, offers the most detailed police account yet of what happened in the late December encounter.
—Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Verb
Allow ample distance between yourself and other vehicles, to avoid the risk of a collision if slippery conditions are encountered.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 6 Feb. 2026
Should drivers encounter snow plows on the road, the county asks to give them plenty of space and do not crowd or pass the plow.
—Cheryl Vari, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Feb. 2026
Noun
In several of the reports, pilots and aviation officials flying into Burbank detailed close encounters with or concerns about aircraft from Van Nuys.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
The edited footage, posted online without a news conference from either police department, offers the most detailed police account yet of what happened in the late December encounter.
—Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounter
Verb
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The Seahawks and Rams met in the NFC Championship Game, which was only decided by four points.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The Milwaukee-area real estate market has far too few homes to meet feverish homebuyer demand.—
Francesca Pica,
jsonline.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Recent grocery store closures have rocked the north side of Milwaukee, where growing food deserts – areas where quality food is difficult to find – have left entire neighborhoods without ready access to food.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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For his courtroom outbursts, Davis found Thompson in contempt of court and added a little more than four and a half years to his sentence.—
Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But the measure is expected to face major pushback in the Senate.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
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The secretary has faced pressure from Democrats and Republicans after Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot dead during an immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.—
Ryan Mancini,
The Hill,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Instead, an arcane academic skirmish has devolved into open hostilities.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, in Milan, a skirmish broke out between police and demonstrators at the end of a protest that police said, according to The Associated Press, initially numbered 10,000 and was peaceful.—
Denny Alfonso,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When the mother-in-law entered Simon’s bedroom to tell him and his wife about it, Simon appeared visibly upset and left the room to confront Toth.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
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Limiting Walker would force Darnold to confront his demons.—
Hank Gola,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Fingers skitter up and down the strings of a double bass, hands massage the piano keys, brushes gently scratch at the drums.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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This reduces the strain on the vacuum, helping the brush roller, preventing clogs, and more.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Van Der Beek spoke with USA TODAY in August 2025 about the importance of catching it early.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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Local officials were caught off guard.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Bass, in turn, warned the county’s actions could cause the city to backslide in its fight against homelessness.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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As tensions rise, Ron and Veronica's brutal knock-down fight in the middle of the newsroom is the perfect comic expression of the battle of the sexes.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encounter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encounter. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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