ENCOUNTERING Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

encountering

verb

present participle of encounter

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

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of encountering 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 When the eye looks symmetrical, that often means the storm is not encountering anything to weaken it. —

William B. Davis, New York Times, 27 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 Thousands of Floridians are encountering significant obstacles when attempting to fill prescriptions as health-insurance companies increasingly deny coverage for medications recommended by their doctors. —

Joan Murray, Miami Herald, 22 May 2026 Others pointed to the fact that many visitors from the region were encountering an international art fair up close for the first time. —

Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 20 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountering

Verb

In Takedown, Hansen returns to the familiar interview format of To Catch a Predator, confronting and interviewing would-be predators for his own streaming network, TruBlu.

— Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026
Magazine publisher Condé Nast settled a labor dispute with three employees who were fired last year after confronting the company’s human resources chief, paying $400,000 to the group and reinstating their jobs, according to a statement from the NewsGuild of New York.

— Liam Scott, Washington Post, 27 May 2026