1
as in confronting
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 finding
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
3
as in facing
to enter into contest or conflict with
the troops encountered bands of guerrilla fighters as they made their way across the desert
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encountering
Others are encountering problems as well.
—
Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
John Early, as anyone encountering his work soon apprehends, chooses the latter.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 7 June 2026
Behind the scenes, Villafaña was encountering some of the same resistance about prosecuting Epstein.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
Google Pixel 10 Pro owners are encountering a significant hurdle when trying to access Google's advanced AI features.
—Paul Monckton, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
The best safety measure when encountering bees near nests is to leave the area and create distance to avoid being stung by female carpenter bees.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 30 May 2026
The series was an anthology hosted by the titular Frankelda, the ghost of an aspiring horror writer, who told stories about children encountering the paranormal.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 28 May 2026
Criteria include water calmness, crowds, beach cleanliness, and the likelihood of encountering wildlife.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 27 May 2026
While searching the home on Wednesday, police safely cleared two women and a child from the home before encountering a locked bedroom, Bettison said.
—Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 27 May 2026
Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
John Early, as anyone encountering his work soon apprehends, chooses the latter.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 7 June 2026
Behind the scenes, Villafaña was encountering some of the same resistance about prosecuting Epstein.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
Google Pixel 10 Pro owners are encountering a significant hurdle when trying to access Google's advanced AI features.
—Paul Monckton, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
The best safety measure when encountering bees near nests is to leave the area and create distance to avoid being stung by female carpenter bees.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 30 May 2026
The series was an anthology hosted by the titular Frankelda, the ghost of an aspiring horror writer, who told stories about children encountering the paranormal.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 28 May 2026
Criteria include water calmness, crowds, beach cleanliness, and the likelihood of encountering wildlife.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 27 May 2026
While searching the home on Wednesday, police safely cleared two women and a child from the home before encountering a locked bedroom, Bettison said.
—Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountering
Verb
-
Video circulating online appeared to show members of the public confronting the attacker, including one person wielding a hurling stick.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
-
There’s a similar feeling throughout Disclosure Day that the characters are confronting something traumatic and trying to find a way to the other side.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
An officer saved a missing boy from a near drowning on Friday after finding the youngster partially submerged, disoriented, and in immediate danger near the shoreline, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
13 June 2026
-
Alcohol ads take up a portion of social media ad space, with one study finding nearly 40,000 ads placed on Facebook and Instagram over a year in Australia.—
Avni Trivedi,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
The hotel's Ajax Tavern, directly facing the mountain, has indoor and outdoor seating and is a great spot for a drink or hot bowl of soup (or, why not, a Wagyu cheeseburger with truffle fries) while watching people make their final runs down at the end of the day.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 June 2026
-
Vance himself has been a frequent topic of conversation on the show, often facing critiques from Goldberg and Behar.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Others say the appeal comes from meeting people outside their usual circles.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
-
Per data from the 2024-25 school year, only slightly more than 30% of high school juniors across the state were meeting or exceeding the standard for math.—
Tarini Mehta,
Sacbee.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
As many as 7 in 10 of those operators blamed tight visa rules, vetting of immigrants and a spike in the cost of catching a flight into the United States, brought on by the Iran war, as reasons for the lousy booking rates.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
-
The Baltimore native dropped a rap video that is catching the eye of more than a million people.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
In Mexico, South Koreans are partying with the locals and mariachi bands are greeting teams at their hotels.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
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This is perhaps why people were so surprised to see William, always so cognizant of optics, greeting Beatrice so warmly.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encountering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encountering. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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