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
Relevance
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
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Visitors also frequently encountered presidential pets, such as the Obamas’ dog Bo and the Bidens’ cat Willow.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Lawmakers from both parties pressed witnesses on whether defense and intelligence agencies were withholding evidence of unexplained aerial encounters.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Verb
Across four gritty, witty books, Jones and Johnson encounter elaborate con men who are extra inventive about their heists.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Visitors also frequently encountered presidential pets, such as the Obamas’ dog Bo and the Bidens’ cat Willow.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
The encounter that elicits sheer agency in Hamida is her final one, with Lajo, Ram Chand’s sister.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Lawmakers from both parties pressed witnesses on whether defense and intelligence agencies were withholding evidence of unexplained aerial encounters.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounter
Verb
-
Determined to stop the anti-imperial policies of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, British and French representatives met with Israeli officials in October 1956 to forge a secret agreement for a coordinated offensive against Egypt.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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The leaders of the world's biggest economies met at the airport in Busan, an hour's drive away from the APEC host city of Gyeongju, for just an hour and 40 minutes.—
Se Eun Gong,
NPR,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The ones who needed to leave their mother tongue in order to find their true voice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
-
More on the science behind the portfolio diet A few small studies led by Jenkins in 2003, including the trial that introduced the diet to the world, found an association between following the portfolio diet and a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.—
Renée Onque,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Air Mail’s fate shows that even the masters of the old form faced major headwinds when trying to navigate the new media landscape.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
-
As the candy bowls linger from Halloween and holiday treats start to roll in, your teeth face a marathon of sugar exposure.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
David Wolf, the executive director of the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Scottsbluff, said experts estimate that as many 10 people died for every mile of the trail ‒ perhaps as many as 20,000 travelers, plus an unknown number of Native Americans killed during skirmishes.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The skirmish brought players from both teams out of the dugouts and out of the bullpens.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This could look like confronting jealousy in a relationship, realizing a friendship has turned competitive or renegotiating a partnership where one person holds the reins.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But while Christy flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it, confronting family, identity, and a relationship that becomes life-or-death.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Once that’s done and completely turned off, use a small brush to clean around the disposal and inside it.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Her brushes guided her into a new era—one where art would no longer be a side passion, but the foundation of a visual language that continues to deepen, expand, and heal.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But the man who caught her eye in the end was practically a stranger.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The hiring has caught the attention of the beauty world today.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
When police arrived, however, there was no sign of any fight or crime scene.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
In his eight wins, all eight have come inside the distance, with only two fights seeing a second round.—
Brett Appley,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encounter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encounter. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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