Synonyms of encountering

encountering

verb

present participle of encounter

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

• confronting
• meeting
• catching
• greeting
• happening (upon)
• running into
• stumbling (upon)
• facing
• running across
• bumping into
• running upon
• accosting
• crossing paths (with)
• chancing (upon)
• saluting
• crossing
• passing
• crisscrossing
• crashing (into)
• colliding (with)
• hitting (upon)
• tumbling (to)
• lighting (upon)
• reencountering
• remeeting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoiding
• escaping
• shaking
• evading
• dodging
• eluding
• shunning
• ducking

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

• finding
• meeting
• facing
• running against
• hitting (upon)
• happening (on or upon)
• discovering
• confronting
• stumbling (on or onto)
• running into
• lighting (on or upon)
• coming across
• tumbling (upon)
• pitching (upon)
• running across
• bumping into
• running upon
• chancing (upon)
• lucking (out, on, onto, or into)
• turning up
• striking

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

• facing
• meeting
• engaging
• battling
• fighting
• taking on
• opposing
• emulating
• contending
• rivaling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• escaping
• evading
• retreating
• eluding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of encountering

Mexican YouTuber Alex Crashers described encountering an aura battle in Mexico in a video shared this week. — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

The tiny animal played and explored, apparently encountering humans for perhaps the first time. — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Longer hikes often require a minimum of six walkers due to the possibility of encountering aforementioned bears. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026

As a result, many people are encountering conflicting messages about vaccines and struggling to determine which sources are trustworthy. — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026

Nampa resident Patti Evans described riding Route 42 for three hours and 52 miles and encountering only four other passengers. — Noah Daly august 20, Idaho Statesman, 20 Aug. 2026

De Fabeltjeskrant is designed to tap into both notions, restoring and distributing the original programming for the audiences who grew up with it and simultaneously rebuilding the property for children encountering its characters for the first time. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026

First responders and clean-up crews are encountering cars blocking access to some roads. — Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 18 Aug. 2026

Hammond, East Chicago, Lake Station, Portage, New Chicago and Ogden Dunes are encountering a similar lack of specific information from the utility’s updates. — Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026