en·coun·ter
in-ˈkau̇n-tər 
en-
encountered; encountering
in-ˈkau̇n-t(ə-)riŋ
en-
1
a
: to meet as an adversary or enemy
b
: to engage in conflict with
2
: to come upon face-to-face
3
: to come upon or experience especially unexpectedly
encounter difficulties
: to meet especially by chance
1
: a meeting between hostile factions or persons : a sudden often violent clash
an encounter between the police and demonstrators
2
a
: a chance meeting
an accidental encounter
b
: a particular kind of meeting or experience with another person
a romantic encounter
3
: a coming into the vicinity of a celestial body
the Martian encounter of a spacecraft
Examples of encounter in a Sentence
Verb
We encountered problems early in the project.
The pilot told us that we might encounter turbulence during the flight.
Her suggestion has encountered a lot of opposition.
Noun
a chance encounter with a famous writer
The tour boat had a close encounter with a breeching humpback whale.
There was a violent encounter between fans of the opposing teams.
It was her first encounter with cigarettes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
In the study from child advocacy groups ParentsTogether Action, the HEAT Initiative, and Design It for Us, which Meta disputed as biased, nearly 60% of teens aged 13 to 15 reported encountering unsafe content and unwanted messages on Instagram during the last six months.
—Charlotte Alter, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Ehud Barak, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
The third match planned for the Salt Lake City event is a first-time singles encounter.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Verb
Government officials began weighing in on the Puerto Rican artist’s Spanish-language music catalog and his recent comments about skipping the United States on his last tour due to fears about his fans encountering ICE agents.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
In the study from child advocacy groups ParentsTogether Action, the HEAT Initiative, and Design It for Us, which Meta disputed as biased, nearly 60% of teens aged 13 to 15 reported encountering unsafe content and unwanted messages on Instagram during the last six months.
—Charlotte Alter, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
The problem arose from the encounter between this antisemitic predisposition, the reckless actions of the government and the results on the ground.
—Ehud Barak, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
The third match planned for the Salt Lake City event is a first-time singles encounter.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Cite this Entry
“Encounter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encounter. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
encounter
1 of 2 verb
en·coun·ter
in-ˈkau̇nt-ər
encountered; encountering
-ˈkau̇nt-ə-riŋ
-ˈkau̇n-triŋ
1
: to engage in a struggle with as an enemy or rival
2
: to come upon face-to-face : meet
3
: to come upon unexpectedly
encountered problems
encounter
2 of 2 noun1
: a clash between enemies or rivals
also
: a very unfriendly meeting
had an encounter with the boss
2
a
: a chance meeting
b
: a meeting face-to-face
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