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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encountering
Diaz and her mother were found dead after encountering smoke while trying to escape the blaze through the interior staircase, according to People en Español.
—
Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
Fattkay’s initial plan was to build a team communication alternative after encountering high costs with existing tools.
—Nia Bowers, USA Today, 12 May 2026
The spark for Dhont came with encountering a simple black-and-white photo of a soldier cross-dressing just behind enemy lines.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
Fans encountering him outside the Stadio Olimpico have approached Malen on bended knee.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 12 May 2026
While less than half a mile away, innocent children received no warning at all before encountering the worst danger imaginable.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Police urged the public to contact the Marine Mammal Center at 415-289-7325 when encountering marine wildlife in distress and to maintain a safe distance of 50 yards.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 10 May 2026
The reaction to encountering a bear depends on the context, according to BearWise.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 8 May 2026
Across New York, students are already encountering hate.
—Samantha Hirsch, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
Fattkay’s initial plan was to build a team communication alternative after encountering high costs with existing tools.
—Nia Bowers, USA Today, 12 May 2026
The spark for Dhont came with encountering a simple black-and-white photo of a soldier cross-dressing just behind enemy lines.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
Fans encountering him outside the Stadio Olimpico have approached Malen on bended knee.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 12 May 2026
While less than half a mile away, innocent children received no warning at all before encountering the worst danger imaginable.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Police urged the public to contact the Marine Mammal Center at 415-289-7325 when encountering marine wildlife in distress and to maintain a safe distance of 50 yards.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 10 May 2026
The reaction to encountering a bear depends on the context, according to BearWise.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 8 May 2026
Across New York, students are already encountering hate.
—Samantha Hirsch, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountering
Verb
-
While still politically uncompromising and laced with cutting wit, All of a Sudden is a remarkably open-hearted work, confronting seemingly intractable systems with a simple belief in people.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
-
Its second, which first aired in 2014, has Valerie confronting the dysfunction of her former workplaces.—
Caroline Framke,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
This is about finding a better balance.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
The amount of debris caused the delay in finding the second body.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Brown is still building up his pitch count with his transition from the bullpen to the rotation, requiring high efficiency facing Major League Baseball’s best offense to give them that many outs.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
-
Kubiak has experience going against the group in practices last season, but facing his former boss in Mike MacDonald will be a tall task.—
Sam Warren,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Your connections are under a microscope, but clarity arrives around who’s meeting you halfway and who’s just enjoying access to you.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
-
The interest rate climate is high and static right now, with another Federal Reserve meeting not even scheduled again until June.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Abdoler echoed that, noting there is a much higher risk of catching other kinds of viruses, like influenza, while sailing.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
-
Investigators worked to find and bring Austin into custody, catching a break by digging into his social media accounts.—
Matthew Ablon,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
And where customers know Meli — pictured here — and her colleagues Juan and Miguel, all greeting you from behind the bar by your name.—
Miguel Macias,
NPR,
13 May 2026
-
Aikman walks around the compound to get used to being outdoors and learning socialization by greeting people.—
Nelly Carreño,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encountering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encountering. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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