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
Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
As for the trick-or-treaters who may encounter tuna jerky this year?
—Liz Regalia, Parents, 17 Oct. 2025
Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
It’s been 30 years since France last faced Azerbaijan, but that most recent encounter ended in a dominant 10-0 win for the two-time world champions.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Verb
In the Gawler Ranges National Park in southern Australia, ecologist Tali Moyle encountered a rare southwestern carpet python, known as Morelia imbricata.
—Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
As for the trick-or-treaters who may encounter tuna jerky this year?
—Liz Regalia, Parents, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
The friends then began attempting to collect more evidence and information and document the encounters through photography (thanks to a psychology professor lending him a camera) and journal entries.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
It’s been 30 years since France last faced Azerbaijan, but that most recent encounter ended in a dominant 10-0 win for the two-time world champions.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounter
Verb
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During her first week on the job, Weiss embarked on a listening tour of the network and met with top staff and producers, many of whom left the meetings with cautious optimism about the network’s future.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
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Those teams, who have met in the past two conference championship games, play next Saturday at Albertsons Stadium.—
Jim Keyser,
Idaho Statesman,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Some residents have found debris as far as two miles from the facility, according to the Hickman County Sheriff’s office.—
Isabel Rosales,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Don’t expect to find an M5 in an iPhone, though.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Weiss now faces three major challenges.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
-
But companies that don’t have an issue with undocumented workers are facing the friction of having employees pulled aside by ICE officials.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Amazon Prime commentator Kirk Herbstreit said as a guess at Rodgers' response to Jones, as footage of the sideline near-skirmish played for viewers.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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The decision was the latest skirmish in a years-long political and legal wrangle over voting requirements for local tax increase proposals.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Tranter mounted a spirited defense of the Time Lord when confronted with Shearman’s quote.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The following year, on the evening of June 2, 2023, Lorincz—as was typical—confronted some children.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Airwrap Diffuse now features a wide-tooth comb, a new diffuser, and a round volumizing brush for good measure — here to lengthen your curls, reduce their overall frizz, and boost your mane’s fullness, respectively.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Kansas City firefighters stopped the spread of the blaze, which had destroyed the pickup and moved into nearby brush.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On Monday, of course, the problem wasn’t Durbin getting caught stealing.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
14 Oct. 2025
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One that frequently catches my attention is meaning, or purpose.—
Amy Lindgren,
Twin Cities,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In the Netflix adaptation, Pippa helps describe the fight against the Twits’ reign of mischief and terror, serving as a moral compass amid the chaos.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
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Resistance from African Leaders As youth protests grow stronger, African governments, particularly those that are military-led, are unlikely to surrender their positions without a fight.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encounter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encounter. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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