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
The Vatican has made clear that Catholic social teaching disapproves of the types of authoritarian leaders that Leo is encountering on his visit, the first to the continent by history's first American pope.
—
ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
For anyone just encountering her name, here’s what to know.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
The crew has already flow farther in space than any humans ever have, reaching more than a quarter-million miles from Earth while encountering sights of the moon's far side never seen in person.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Steven Spielberg is riding high after doing a movie about humans encountering aliens.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
When the eye looks symmetrical, that often means the storm is not encountering anything to weaken it.
—William B. Davis, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Even in the 21st century, humans are still encountering ancient creatures that have outlasted mass extinctions.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
Nolan's film adaptation of Homer's epic follows Damon's Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, on his treacherous decade-long voyage home from the Trojan War, encountering a host of perils along the way.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
For some classes, participants are invited to harvest herbs from the Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden, encountering firsthand the seed-to-plate process.
—Nicole Schnitzler, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
For anyone just encountering her name, here’s what to know.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
The crew has already flow farther in space than any humans ever have, reaching more than a quarter-million miles from Earth while encountering sights of the moon's far side never seen in person.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Steven Spielberg is riding high after doing a movie about humans encountering aliens.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
When the eye looks symmetrical, that often means the storm is not encountering anything to weaken it.
—William B. Davis, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Even in the 21st century, humans are still encountering ancient creatures that have outlasted mass extinctions.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
Nolan's film adaptation of Homer's epic follows Damon's Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, on his treacherous decade-long voyage home from the Trojan War, encountering a host of perils along the way.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
For some classes, participants are invited to harvest herbs from the Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden, encountering firsthand the seed-to-plate process.
—Nicole Schnitzler, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountering
Verb
-
To be present in Hungary on the eve of its upcoming elections is to feel the tremors of a regime confronting the prospect of collapse.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The show jumps forward five years for its latest iteration, with the characters confronting adult (in every sense of the word) issues in their lives.—
Shirley Halperin,
Rolling Stone,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Brunson said the two have been finding a rhythm on the court.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Hundreds of Korean adoptees in the West have already requested that their cases be investigated by a fact-finding commission reviewing past human rights violations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
However, after facing opposition, the bill was amended so that any disciplinary decisions would be handled at the local school level.—
Brady Halbleib,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The museum started as a small window display facing into the alley behind Hattiesburg's Saenger Theater.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Attendees could also check out who else was single in the audience using the Next Fun Thing’s dating app, which facilitates meeting people IRL at the event company’s activities, from speed dating to kickball.—
Brittany Levine Beckman,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The shipman embarked on Sunday for an over 48-hour journey that would take him from the Iraqi port where his vessel was anchored to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, before finally meeting his wife and parents in his hometown of Mumbai.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The designs are eye catching and beautiful, inspired by South Florida's beaches and ocean water.—
Najahe Sherman,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
With offensive coordinator Brad Idzik taking over play-calling, the Panthers have a much more pressing need for pass-catching playmakers than backfield bodies.—
Mike Kaye
April 14,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sweeney, wearing a white archival Pierre Cardin dress, also made her way to her own seat, joining her current beau, Scooter Braun, and greeting him with a quick kiss.—
Rebecca Ford,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
-
In the image below, captured early in the mission, Earth can be seen almost peeking through the window of the Orion capsule, greeting the crew members.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encountering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encountering. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
