Synonyms of encountered

encountered

verb

past tense of encounter

1

as in met

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

• met
• confronted
• caught
• greeted
• happened (upon)
• stumbled (upon)
• faced
• ran into
• ran across
• bumped into
• chanced (upon)
• accosted
• ran upon
• crossed paths (with)
• saluted
• passed
• crossed
• crashed (into)
• crisscrossed
• collided (with)
• hit (upon)
• lit (upon)
• tumbled (to)
• reencountered
• remet

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoided
• escaped
• shook
• evaded
• ducked
• eluded
• shunned
• dodged

2

as in found

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

• found
• met
• faced
• hit (upon)
• happened (on or upon)
• came across
• discovered
• pitched (upon)
• stumbled (on or onto)
• confronted
• tumbled (upon)
• ran into
• ran across
• lit (on or upon)
• bumped into
• ran against
• chanced (upon)
• ran upon
• turned up
• lucked (out, on, onto, or into)
• struck

3

as in faced

to enter into contest or conflict with

the troops encountered bands of guerrilla fighters as they made their way across the desert

Synonyms & Similar Words

• faced
• met
• engaged
• fought
• battled
• took on
• opposed
• contended
• rivaled
• emulated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• escaped
• evaded
• eluded
• retreated

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of encountered

On September 9, 1947, the Harvard Mark II, one of the earliest computers, encountered a bug. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Sep. 2026

Officers who responded to a shoplifting call encountered two adults allegedly fleeing from the store with a child and going into a vehicle, according to bureau. — Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Law firm has faced continued threats VDoor has recently encountered a series of challenges. — Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Neal Ascherson encountered some of the twentieth century’s greatest tragedies as a veteran, journalist, essayist, historian, novelist, and political activist. — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026

Officials warned residents never to approach or feed a bobcat and to give the animal plenty of space if encountered. — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026

The Guarani, which now number roughly 85,000 in Brazil, were among the Indigenous peoples first encountered by Portuguese colonizers in the 1500s. — Marina Dias, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2026

However, as the brand quickly grew, the company soon encountered several pain points in its process. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026

The police report indicated that Lomon encountered the man near the elevators with an open knife. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026