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
April White, JSTOR Daily, 21 July 2025
In his own work studying juvenile brook trout and Atlantic salmon, Dalhousie University’s Lennox has encountered other barriers to working with miniature tracking tags.
—Moira Donovan, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 July 2025
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 23 July 2025
Among them, his younger years, and first encounter with the spotlight.
—Jordan Hoffman Updated, EW.com, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Verb
In her travels, Sheldon would see things most Americans had encountered only in books or on canvas.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 21 July 2025
In his own work studying juvenile brook trout and Atlantic salmon, Dalhousie University’s Lennox has encountered other barriers to working with miniature tracking tags.
—Moira Donovan, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 July 2025
Noun
However, these two should only be used as a last resort and not as an alternative to common-sense approaches to bear encounters.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 23 July 2025
Among them, his younger years, and first encounter with the spotlight.
—Jordan Hoffman Updated, EW.com, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounter
Verb
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The Quilters meet at 8:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month.—
Carin Schoppmeyer,
Arkansas Online,
27 July 2025
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The biggest thrill, of course, was meeting so many tax professionals (including current and former IRS employees), taxpayers, and readers.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
Verb
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Determined to find a way to make his first feature-length movie, Zhou took a multi-tiered approach to securing financing.—
Julie Hinds,
Freep.com,
25 July 2025
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As Cincinnati city leaders consider new ways to enforce the curfew for youth who stay out too late, an Enquirer review of data found police across Hamilton County have been steadily filing fewer curfew violations over the past 25 years.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
25 July 2025
Verb
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The move comes amid mounting frustration with the country’s law enforcement, which for decades has faced allegations of abuse — including thousands of cases of a still-prevalent torture mechanism used during apartheid — and yet failed to reduce crime.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
14 July 2025
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Intel has faced manufacturing delays, quality-control issues, marketing errors, expensive acquisitions that didn’t work out, executive management turnover and more in a highly competitive industry.—
Sasha Hupka,
AZCentral.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
This is the third bench-clearing skirmish for the Angels this season, though none has resulted in ejections.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
30 July 2025
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That’s right, the first camp skirmish pitted a pair of rookies, tackle Josh Simmons and interior defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott, with Simmons appearing to land a right-handed blow to Norman-Lott’s helmet.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
29 July 2025
Verb
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As Hailey follows the trail across borders and through layers of deception, he’s forced to confront both his personal demons and the bureaucratic system he’s sworn to uphold.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
22 July 2025
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As the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches in late August, viewers can expect a slew of reflective documentaries confronting that fathomable/unfathomable dichotomy — projects made without expectations of equaling When the Levees Broke, but with a different imperative in mind.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
Even a brush from one of these storms can cause problems.—
Nazaneen Ghaffar,
New York Times,
28 July 2025
-
Use a brush if needed to dislodge anything stuck in those areas.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
27 July 2025
Verb
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Scannell also said that his dogs as well as one of his neighbors suffered respiratory problems after one of the project's contractors — who was later fired — was caught dumping debris out of the building's windows.—
JC Reindl,
Freep.com,
23 July 2025
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Even some of Trump’s die-hard fans on Truth Social seemed caught off guard by the video, struggling to draw a connection between it and Trump’s politics.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
Ali has not yet responded to Shields’ fight request now that money has been offered.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
21 July 2025
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Anyone who witnessed the fight is asked to contact Oak Creek Officer Andrew Glaz at 414-762-8200.—
Jack Albright,
jsonline.com,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encounter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encounter. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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