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
Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Law enforcement has encountered that, too.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Sep. 2025
Airport Security This isn't the first time an encounter with TSA agents has attracted online attention.
—Matthew Impelli, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Verb
In another sighting, a second shark off the coast of Santa Barbara encountered an unidentified surface object and swam directly at it.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Law enforcement has encountered that, too.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
Chris Colfer reunited with his screen dad, Mike O'Malley, in a chance encounter at an airport on Thursday.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Sep. 2025
Airport Security This isn't the first time an encounter with TSA agents has attracted online attention.
—Matthew Impelli, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounter
Verb
-
An anime about a teenager avenging the deaths of his family at the hands of hordes of carnivorous demons wouldn’t usually be the sort of film which would be met with unanimous praise from critics.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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At first, the poster was happy to meet someone new and even adjusted the reservation to make space.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The 23-year-old winger dropped from a career-high 57 points in 2023-24 to 45 last season, and finding ways to get him back on track is a top priority.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
18 Sep. 2025
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The laptop's standard 1600p screen is its standout feature, displaying superior detail and sharpness to the full HD panels often found in this price bracket.—
Charles Jefferies,
PC Magazine,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
One of the main challenges facing the economy is the strained relationship between Beijing and Washington as disputes over technology and geopolitics mount.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
15 Sep. 2025
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Jackson faced several setbacks this season but proved her fitness during the 100-meter dash rounds the past two days.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Still one of the NFL’s nastiest division rivalries, the game was full of skirmishes and a near-costly unnecessary roughness penalty late in the third against the Eagles that put the Cowboys in position to take the lead.—
Dan Gelston,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ideological skirmishes over the motives and obligations of Carpenter’s music include both sincere interrogation of its feminism and smirking counteractive reprisals to that scrutiny.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Getting confronted with gruesome, horrific imagery has, unfortunately, become an assumed risk when logging onto social media.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Jurors at the trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, heard from the Secret Service agent who confronted an armed Routh on the golf course before Routh fled, and a witness who identified Routh to police.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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To prevent a repeat of Otis’ near-death brush with booze, the distillery has asked the city for a dumpster with a lid.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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And what would serve as the graphite, ink, wax, or brush that filled the spaces in between?—
Beth Kephart
September 10,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kirk was killed in Utah on Wednesday and the suspect, Tyler Robinson, was caught after his father turned him in to authorities on Friday.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Use any type of soft plastic lures to catch black bass.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Yet two of the first three weekends on CU’s fight card have resembled the Kansas and Kansas State losses of 2024.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
13 Sep. 2025
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Naoya Inoue, who is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters and 30-0, is defending his super bantamweight title on Sunday in Japan, just hours after Álvarez and Crawford fight.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encounter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encounter. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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