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
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
Heaton recalled encountering a farmer in Uganda while volunteering there.
—
Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026
Salonen found renewal not from the desperation of rethinking but from freshening, illuminating the perception of exceptional young musicians first encountering greatness.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2026
Humans deal with these situations using common sense but current AI can freeze when encountering a situation not present in its training data.
—New Atlas, 20 June 2026
Those improvements suggest graduates entering Atlanta today are encountering a healthier labor market than those who arrived only a year ago.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
After encountering traffic and a 2-hour and 20-minute drive, Saritan was able to do exactly that, shake hands with a customer while dropping off equipment.
—Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 19 June 2026
Evans said things took a turn for the worse in Manila where almost 100 British prisoners died while the ship docked for more than a month after encountering engine problems.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 18 June 2026
Road rage is a year-round constant in Colorado, but summer can bring more drivers to the state’s roads and increase the chance of encountering an aggressive driver, Mendez said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 15 June 2026
What to know about the weather The event is encountering significant threats due to weather.
—Isabella Murray, ABC News, 14 June 2026
Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026
Salonen found renewal not from the desperation of rethinking but from freshening, illuminating the perception of exceptional young musicians first encountering greatness.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2026
Humans deal with these situations using common sense but current AI can freeze when encountering a situation not present in its training data.
—New Atlas, 20 June 2026
Those improvements suggest graduates entering Atlanta today are encountering a healthier labor market than those who arrived only a year ago.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
After encountering traffic and a 2-hour and 20-minute drive, Saritan was able to do exactly that, shake hands with a customer while dropping off equipment.
—Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 19 June 2026
Evans said things took a turn for the worse in Manila where almost 100 British prisoners died while the ship docked for more than a month after encountering engine problems.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 18 June 2026
Road rage is a year-round constant in Colorado, but summer can bring more drivers to the state’s roads and increase the chance of encountering an aggressive driver, Mendez said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 15 June 2026
What to know about the weather The event is encountering significant threats due to weather.
—Isabella Murray, ABC News, 14 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountering
Verb
-
In this timely and personal film, Hardwicke wanted to capture the lives of skateboarders, artists and musicians who strive to live in freedom while confronting their often-traumatic pasts amid a streetscape sometimes marked by violence, drugs and mental illness.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
18 June 2026
-
Rather than confronting her mom, the teenager decided to wait until Rose was ready to share the news herself.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Another problem is the difficulty older Americans have in finding new jobs.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
-
In the 10th minute, Neil El Aynaoui pilfered the ball from Ryan Christie, then nearly capitalized on the ensuing counterattack, finding free space in front of an open net but overrunning Azzedine Ounahi’s cross.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
Ventura was the only defendant not facing life in prison without the possibility of parole.—
Seamus Bozeman
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
While Burnham plots his next move, the UK government now enters a new period of uncertainty, potentially facing a sixth prime minister in seven years.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Lee, 31, exclaimed, and the pair, mere moments after meeting, snapped a selfie as Gonzalez, 28, presented his Korean bulgogi beef quesadilla to the camera with a grin.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
Bunnie, whose real name is Alisa DeFord, and Jelly Roll tied the knot in August 2016 during a whirlwind Las Vegas ceremony, after meeting the year prior.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Residents and visitors line downtown streets waving flags, children scramble for the best candy-catching spots along the parade route, and families spend the day enjoying pancake breakfasts, baseball and an evening fireworks show.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
23 June 2026
-
Rushing’s injury could have suddenly put the Dodgers’ catching situation in a precarious position.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
Verb
-
All members of the British royal family, including those with His/Her Royal Highness (HRH) styling, are known to bow or curtsy to the monarch and his wife when greeting them.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
-
Before the performance started and while the dancers were demonstrating their moves, Sandy Sherwood, the president of the volunteers organization and a former library employee, was sitting at a table with two other members, greeting people and taking donations.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encountering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encountering. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
