encounter

1 of 2

verb

en·​coun·​ter in-ˈkau̇n-tər How to pronounce encounter (audio)
en-
encountered; encountering in-ˈkau̇n-t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce encounter (audio)
en-

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to meet especially by chance

encounter

2 of 2

noun

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
Verb
Firefighters arriving at the scene encountered heavy fire at the back exterior of the single-family house, officials said in the release. Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 24 Oct. 2024 Robert Dudley, an insect flight specialist at the University of California, Berkeley, notes that insects would never encounter such high ethanol values in nature. Rachel Berkowitz, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
Border Patrol encounters dropped from 7,762 in May 2022 to 145 in June 2022, illustrating an immediate impact. Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024 Our encounter with the Phantom Goldfinger takes place at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire, England, the country estate where Bond first meets his nemesis and challenges him to a game of golf. Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for encounter 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'encounter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English encountren, from Anglo-French encuntrer, from Medieval Latin incontrare, from Late Latin incontra toward, from Latin in- + contra against — more at counter

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of encounter was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near encounter

Cite this Entry

“Encounter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encounter. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

encounter

1 of 2 verb
en·​coun·​ter in-ˈkau̇nt-ər How to pronounce encounter (audio)
encountered; encountering -ˈkau̇nt-ə-riŋ How to pronounce encounter (audio)
-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 noun
1
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on encounter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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