Definition of encounter
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : 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
encounter
nounDefinition of encounter (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : a meeting between hostile factions or persons : a sudden often violent clash
an encounter between the police and demonstrators
2a : 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
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Time Traveler for encounter
The first known use of encounter was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century