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
Across New York, students are already encountering hate.
—
Samantha Hirsch, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Something that really drove me nuts in art history was encountering people who felt like what their job was to exercise taste.
—Lilyanna D'amato, ARTnews.com, 26 Apr. 2026
So just kind of encountering (those things) for the first time in my professional career.
—Annie Heilbrunn, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
The results are already visible in logistics, manufacturing, and autonomous systems—warehouse robots navigating crowded spaces with fewer collisions, autonomous vehicles rehearsing edge cases before encountering them on the road.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
When Martin Scorsese filmed scenes for The Wolf of Wall Street, Brodsky reportedly handed over the keys and stepped aside, later stopping by and briefly encountering the cast mid-production.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 21 Apr. 2026
For this reason, the probability of encountering a descending elevator first is higher.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2026
The wayward high-schoolers of the HBO series are now young adults, encountering the difficulties that come with entering the real world and trying to establish themselves.
—Molly Lambert, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026
Two soldiers were seriously injured after encountering a brown bear during a training mission at a military base in Alaska, the Army said.
—Luis Martinez, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
Samantha Hirsch, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Something that really drove me nuts in art history was encountering people who felt like what their job was to exercise taste.
—Lilyanna D'amato, ARTnews.com, 26 Apr. 2026
So just kind of encountering (those things) for the first time in my professional career.
—Annie Heilbrunn, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
The results are already visible in logistics, manufacturing, and autonomous systems—warehouse robots navigating crowded spaces with fewer collisions, autonomous vehicles rehearsing edge cases before encountering them on the road.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
When Martin Scorsese filmed scenes for The Wolf of Wall Street, Brodsky reportedly handed over the keys and stepped aside, later stopping by and briefly encountering the cast mid-production.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 21 Apr. 2026
For this reason, the probability of encountering a descending elevator first is higher.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2026
The wayward high-schoolers of the HBO series are now young adults, encountering the difficulties that come with entering the real world and trying to establish themselves.
—Molly Lambert, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026
Two soldiers were seriously injured after encountering a brown bear during a training mission at a military base in Alaska, the Army said.
—Luis Martinez, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountering
Verb
-
On balance, confronting Iran’s nuclear ambitions was necessary.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
With the 84th Golden Globes shaping up for next January, the awards show is confronting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) with new eligibility rules.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
In September 2024, Judge Delia Trevino dismissed the murder count, finding that prosecutors had failed to clearly establish the fatal shot came from Henderson’s gun, let alone disprove a self-defense theory.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
-
Steyer would do this in part by reworking the complicated affordable housing finance system to better use public money and attract more private capital, while finding ways to add housing on public lands.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
What are the top 3 issues facing schools and students in San Diego County?—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Japan’s construction industry is facing a productivity crisis, as soaring material costs and an aging workforce threaten the future of the nation’s $625 billion sector.—
Rebecca Cairns,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The 40-year-old nurse manager married Dustin McNeal four years ago after meeting at the hospital.—
Laura Berrios,
AJC.com,
7 May 2026
-
Karl Mayer German textile machine maker Karl Mayer participated in Techtextil 2026, meeting with key customers and establishing new contacts, with visitors hailing from Germany, Poland, the UK, Turkey, France and Portugal.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The Chicago White Sox have been searching for offensive production from the catching position.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Sophomore Nate Roberts is a 6-5, 240-pounder who has blocking experience and showed off versatility catching passes in the spring.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In a post shared to Instagram on April 28, 63-year-old Moore can be seen greeting fans to sign autographs in New York City.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
4 May 2026
-
In Indonesia, President Prabowo Subianto joined a May Day rally in the capital, Jakarta, greeting tens of thousands of people amid a tight police and military presence.—
Sylvie Corbet,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encountering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encountering. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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