1
as in confronting
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 finding
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
3
as in facing
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encountering
Car accidents are statistically more common than encountering a defective medical device.
—
Matt Lowe, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Research shows that new experiences—like stepping outside and encountering a new environment while working out—trigger the brain's reward system.
—Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 8 Sep. 2025
After a tasting at the winery, visitors can walk or e-bike along the sculpture trail, encountering site-specific large-scale works by artists such as Jose Dávila, Alicja Kwade, and the Danish collective Superflex set amid the vineyard, olive groves, and fragrant pine forests.
—Siobhan Reid, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2025
Over his 29th birthday weekend, encountering his mother, friends and making a new connection, Nino gradually warms to life.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Before ever encountering the Warrens, Valak took out a convent, murdered some priests, and possessed a very hot Frenchman.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Witnesses told investigators that the man had been firing the handgun out of the vehicle’s window before encountering the officers, police said.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Sep. 2025
Another Buc-ee’s is proposed for DeForest, but that is encountering a different set of issues related to road improvements.
—Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025
College athletic departments often face a first-mover dilemma, and MásLabor is encountering that same hesitation, compounded, Floyd says, by institutional incentives to maintain the status quo.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Matt Lowe, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Research shows that new experiences—like stepping outside and encountering a new environment while working out—trigger the brain's reward system.
—Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 8 Sep. 2025
After a tasting at the winery, visitors can walk or e-bike along the sculpture trail, encountering site-specific large-scale works by artists such as Jose Dávila, Alicja Kwade, and the Danish collective Superflex set amid the vineyard, olive groves, and fragrant pine forests.
—Siobhan Reid, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2025
Over his 29th birthday weekend, encountering his mother, friends and making a new connection, Nino gradually warms to life.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Before ever encountering the Warrens, Valak took out a convent, murdered some priests, and possessed a very hot Frenchman.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Witnesses told investigators that the man had been firing the handgun out of the vehicle’s window before encountering the officers, police said.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Sep. 2025
Another Buc-ee’s is proposed for DeForest, but that is encountering a different set of issues related to road improvements.
—Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025
College athletic departments often face a first-mover dilemma, and MásLabor is encountering that same hesitation, compounded, Floyd says, by institutional incentives to maintain the status quo.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountering
Verb
-
Evidence showed Lachlan feared alienating core Fox viewers — which is to say pro-Trump voters — by confronting them too directly with the facts that President Joe Biden squarely won the election.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
-
George Clooney plays the titular protagonist, a famous movie actor who embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
His eyes darted around, finding nowhere to rest.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Facing one of these situations late in the quarter, Hartman bought time scrambling to his right before finding Brown behind the defense on the sideline for a 38-yard pass to the 9-yard line.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
So, Hilleary will be in the odd position of facing a significant pay cut for getting a big promotion on Capitol Hill.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
An office that helps members of Congress serve Social Security recipients is facing cuts by up to 94 percent.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Teasdale texted his brother, who was meeting him there, and squeezed through the crowd toward the canopy where Kirk would be speaking.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
That means proactive tax compliance planning is more important than ever, including ensuring current compliance by filing all required returns, paying any outstanding liabilities, and meeting foreign asset and accounts information reporting obligations.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Simultaneously, Foden attacks the vacant space, catching Manuel Ugarte off guard.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Emeka Egbuka delivered on the preseason hype in his first NFL game, catching four passes for 67 yards and two scores.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To my surprise, Gary Friedman, the CEO and visionary behind the brand, was in the restaurant, casually moving between tables and greeting guests before graciously stopping at ours.—
Erica Wertheim Zohar,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Current players like Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Joshua Williams, Mike Danna, Kareem Hunt, and Jack Cochrane also joined in on greeting the kids and volunteers.—
Tammy Ljungblad,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encountering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encountering. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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