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

Bass also attracted criticism over her handling of city spending — giving a series of raises to the workforce and then encountering a $1-billion shortfall, which led to the elimination of more than 1,500 vacant city jobs. — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026

While readers of his three earlier Grouse County novels will certainly feel the pleasure of encountering old friends, West of Loveland can be read satisfyingly on its own. — Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2026

Daniela Morera, Bellotti’s wife, remembers Lagerfeld encountering Kee’s samples through her husband. — Luke Leitch, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026

After encountering precipitation and requesting to climb, the pilot declared an emergency as the aircraft began losing altitude at an alarming rate. — Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026

It was then ejected from its home system somehow and left to wander interstellar space before encountering our solar system. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 2 Nov. 2026

The crew also reported an outside temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius, or minus 53 degrees Fahrenheit, before requesting permission to climb to 37,000 feet after encountering precipitation. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026

His buildings gradually became part of systems that sustained ways of living, working, making, encountering, maintaining. — Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

The incident began shortly before noon, when California Highway Patrol officers reported encountering a person armed with a knife during a traffic violation, according to the sheriff's office. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026