1
as in to meet
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to find
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encounter
Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2025
She’s encountered her share of both real and contrived rivalries — par for the course for most pop stars — but never anything explosive enough to disrupt her unbothered aura of tranquility.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2025
John Annese, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2025
That encounter became the basis for the 2006 play Frost/Nixon, written by Peter Morgan (The Crown), and two years later a film directed by Ron Howard, starring Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Verb
Flipping through 1995’s party snapshots, one encounters the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Gianni Versace, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Calvin Klein, Brandy, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2025
She’s encountered her share of both real and contrived rivalries — par for the course for most pop stars — but never anything explosive enough to disrupt her unbothered aura of tranquility.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
Her testimony Tuesday stopped short of that encounter, and she’s expected to take the stand to continue her direct examination on Wednesday.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2025
That encounter became the basis for the 2006 play Frost/Nixon, written by Peter Morgan (The Crown), and two years later a film directed by Ron Howard, starring Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounter
Verb
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Randy Haight – at the time a young patrol officer who was at the crime scene — met his partner at the hospital.—
Erin Moriarty, Liza Finley,
CBS News,
4 May 2025
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McPeek first met Keith at the races over 20 years ago in Louisiana.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
3 May 2025
Verb
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The equity research firm conducted a sample on 50 products and found Amazon prices had risen 4.2% higher on April 25.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
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Legal cases involving Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, both charged with manslaughter, ended with Baldwin’s case being dismissed and Gutierrez-Reed found guilty.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Consumers face an overall average effective tariff rate of 28%, the highest since 1901, according to the Yale Budget Lab. Need a break?—
Bailey Schulz,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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The agency has faced calls for years to pull other synthetic food dyes derived from petroleum like Red 40, which is largely absent from food in some other countries.—
Paula Cohen,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Holy Roman Empire army did eventually move on from the camp, engaging in several skirmishes with the Swedish army stationed nearby.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2025
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Today’s group readies to replay the opening battle skirmish, practicing to get their roles down for the upcoming anniversary celebration.—
Melanie Stetson Freeman,
Christian Science Monitor,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Palo Alto has been steadily bolstering its artificial intelligence systems to confront increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.—
MacKenzie Sigalos,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2025
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Such pay-for-performance arrangements are just one of many efforts by industry players and state officials to confront the problems plaguing primary care.—
Bernard J. Wolfson and Vanessa G. Sánchez,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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With 8000Pa suction and an extra-long rubber brush, the X2 Omni has plenty of cleaning power.—
Terri Williams,
Architectural Digest,
23 Apr. 2025
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Due to those incidents, and a number of other brushes with the law, until last year Jelly was unable to secure a passport in order to book shows outside of the U.S. due to legal restrictions on travel by former felons.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Secure loose outdoor items and adjust plans as necessary so you're not caught outside.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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The double strain catches small bits of ginger and also lime pulp. Credits Recipe developed by Juliana Hale.—
Katlyn Moncada,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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For those who don’t regularly use the MTA, this perception is amplified by media coverage of fights, stabbings, and other acts of violence circulating on social media.—
David Garten,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2025
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The fight is actually bigger than just, oh, how much money does Harvard have?—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encounter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encounter. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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