ENCOUNTERS Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

encounters 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of encounter

as in meets

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

as in finds

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

as in faces

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

encounters

2 of 2

noun

plural of encounter

as in skirmishes

a brief clash between enemies or rivals survived an encounter with the school bully at the local park

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of encounters

Verb

Signs of a measles infection generally appear seven to 14 days after someone encounters the virus. —

Finch Walker, USA Today, 13 May 2026 The project is co-created with author Nicholas Sparks and tells the story of an architect recovering from depression who moves to Cape Cod and encounters a mysterious woman. —

James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026 Odysseus encounters a cyclops, sea monsters, and a sorceress who transforms men into animals, all rendered with minimal CGI and maximum ambition. —

Eliana Dockterman, Time, 12 May 2026 As the slime stretches through the air and encounters mechanical stress, those nanoglobules begin to reorganize. —

Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026 People dispense advice to our heroine of the kind that one encounters in stories properly poised on the cusp of life. —

James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026 Given the complaint’s estimate that Temu is responsible for over 10,000 spam emails to Californians each year, the company encounters considerable potential liability in a state that is a primary battleground for digital privacy rights. —

Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 1 May 2026 Because every experience a child has during their early years helps create new neural connections, wiring the brain for all future learning and connecting, encounters with AI slop may literally wire the brain incorrectly. —

Dana Suskind, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026 In the film, Stella’s character encounters the 39-year-old version of herself — played by Plaza — while on a mushroom trip. —

Joe Otterson, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026

Noun

As humans spread deeper into bears' natural habitats around the world, encounters are becoming more common in some places. —

Ahmad Mukhtar, CBS News, 13 May 2026 Juvenile great whites seen near local shores do not view humans as food, and the risk of negative encounters is low. —

Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026 Hikers began reporting the unusual bear encounters in mid-April, the park says. —

Mark Price may 12, Charlotte Observer, 12 May 2026 Just like last year, Lilibet had several sweet encounters with Disney princesses. —

Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026 The talk of the talk show hosts' gathering included the state of late-night television, amorous encounters with guests and one high-profile hate-watcher. —

Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 12 May 2026 Blending a tense crime thriller structure with absurdist, deadpan humor, the film follows a right-wing zealot who travels to a sleep rural town to assassinate a progressive woman journalist – but runs into a series of darkly comic encounters along the way. —

Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 12 May 2026 Einbinder and Anderson’s performances turn most explosive in these intimate encounters. —

David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026 The first exposure to an ad might just consist of a subscriber seeing the basic spot, while subsequent encounters might contain messages that let viewers make an order or see a range of products tied to the pitch. —

Brian Steinberg, Variety, 11 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounters

Verb

For example, my husband meets either in person, on Zoom or by phone with more than 10 people weekly.

— Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 14 May 2026
The campaign unfolds as a romantic American pop star fantasy, where soft vintage femininity meets Western Americana and melodic storytelling.

— Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 13 May 2026