1
as in meets
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 finds
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 faces
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 encounters
Finch Walker, USA Today, 13 May 2026
The project is co-created with author Nicholas Sparks and tells the story of an architect recovering from depression who moves to Cape Cod and encounters a mysterious woman.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Odysseus encounters a cyclops, sea monsters, and a sorceress who transforms men into animals, all rendered with minimal CGI and maximum ambition.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 12 May 2026
As the slime stretches through the air and encounters mechanical stress, those nanoglobules begin to reorganize.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026
People dispense advice to our heroine of the kind that one encounters in stories properly poised on the cusp of life.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Given the complaint’s estimate that Temu is responsible for over 10,000 spam emails to Californians each year, the company encounters considerable potential liability in a state that is a primary battleground for digital privacy rights.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 1 May 2026
Because every experience a child has during their early years helps create new neural connections, wiring the brain for all future learning and connecting, encounters with AI slop may literally wire the brain incorrectly.
—Dana Suskind, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
In the film, Stella’s character encounters the 39-year-old version of herself — played by Plaza — while on a mushroom trip.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
Ahmad Mukhtar, CBS News, 13 May 2026
Juvenile great whites seen near local shores do not view humans as food, and the risk of negative encounters is low.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Hikers began reporting the unusual bear encounters in mid-April, the park says.
—Mark Price
may 12, Charlotte Observer, 12 May 2026
Just like last year, Lilibet had several sweet encounters with Disney princesses.
—Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
The talk of the talk show hosts' gathering included the state of late-night television, amorous encounters with guests and one high-profile hate-watcher.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 12 May 2026
Blending a tense crime thriller structure with absurdist, deadpan humor, the film follows a right-wing zealot who travels to a sleep rural town to assassinate a progressive woman journalist – but runs into a series of darkly comic encounters along the way.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Einbinder and Anderson’s performances turn most explosive in these intimate encounters.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026
The first exposure to an ad might just consist of a subscriber seeing the basic spot, while subsequent encounters might contain messages that let viewers make an order or see a range of products tied to the pitch.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 11 May 2026
Verb
Signs of a measles infection generally appear seven to 14 days after someone encounters the virus.
—Finch Walker, USA Today, 13 May 2026
The project is co-created with author Nicholas Sparks and tells the story of an architect recovering from depression who moves to Cape Cod and encounters a mysterious woman.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Odysseus encounters a cyclops, sea monsters, and a sorceress who transforms men into animals, all rendered with minimal CGI and maximum ambition.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 12 May 2026
As the slime stretches through the air and encounters mechanical stress, those nanoglobules begin to reorganize.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026
People dispense advice to our heroine of the kind that one encounters in stories properly poised on the cusp of life.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Given the complaint’s estimate that Temu is responsible for over 10,000 spam emails to Californians each year, the company encounters considerable potential liability in a state that is a primary battleground for digital privacy rights.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 1 May 2026
Because every experience a child has during their early years helps create new neural connections, wiring the brain for all future learning and connecting, encounters with AI slop may literally wire the brain incorrectly.
—Dana Suskind, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
In the film, Stella’s character encounters the 39-year-old version of herself — played by Plaza — while on a mushroom trip.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
As humans spread deeper into bears' natural habitats around the world, encounters are becoming more common in some places.
—Ahmad Mukhtar, CBS News, 13 May 2026
Juvenile great whites seen near local shores do not view humans as food, and the risk of negative encounters is low.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Hikers began reporting the unusual bear encounters in mid-April, the park says.
—Mark Price
may 12, Charlotte Observer, 12 May 2026
Just like last year, Lilibet had several sweet encounters with Disney princesses.
—Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
The talk of the talk show hosts' gathering included the state of late-night television, amorous encounters with guests and one high-profile hate-watcher.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 12 May 2026
Blending a tense crime thriller structure with absurdist, deadpan humor, the film follows a right-wing zealot who travels to a sleep rural town to assassinate a progressive woman journalist – but runs into a series of darkly comic encounters along the way.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Einbinder and Anderson’s performances turn most explosive in these intimate encounters.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026
The first exposure to an ad might just consist of a subscriber seeing the basic spot, while subsequent encounters might contain messages that let viewers make an order or see a range of products tied to the pitch.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounters
Verb
-
For example, my husband meets either in person, on Zoom or by phone with more than 10 people weekly.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
The campaign unfolds as a romantic American pop star fantasy, where soft vintage femininity meets Western Americana and melodic storytelling.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
His father, John Allen Wooden, a writer and creative producer and one of more than a dozen parents who spoke to NBC News about i-Ready, finds this baffling.—
Tyler Kingkade,
NBC news,
12 May 2026
-
The largest study of school phone bans finds mixed results.—
Greg Toppo,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Each faces a felony theft charge, four felony counts of breaking or entering, and a misdemeanor charge of fleeing on foot, the post says.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 May 2026
-
One patient retained normal core disgust reactivity but could no longer recognize disgust in others’ faces; another with anterior insula damage showed dysregulation in both producing and experiencing disgust.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The game was delayed with just under six minutes on the clock after several skirmishes broke out, leading to the ejections of Seals captain Wes Berg and Toronto’s Elijah Gash.—
Ivan Carter,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
The early skirmishes certainly appeared that way.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One of those women, Kris (Lauren Bittner), whose entire demeanor screams former head cheerleader, finally confronts Patricia at her sunset and cocktails event.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
-
This conversation also rarely confronts the workforce problem.—
Jonathan Slater,
STAT,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Two title fights, multiple division-shifting wins, a record extended for Miller, an arrival statement from Amosov, and a main event that traded weeks of bad blood for legitimate mid-fight respect.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
Spread by social media flyers or mass messages beforehand, the takeovers have on occasion spiraled into chaos, with reports of fights, robberies, gunshots and general disruption.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Power—the explosive, fast-twitch capacity that catches you mid-fall—goes first.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
15 May 2026
-
All this will come to the fore when Apple eventually sorts out its own AI strategy and catches iPhone up with other platforms.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
This pet grooming kit + vacuum trims, brushes and sucks up loose fur at the same time, so you're not left sweeping up Fido's tumbleweeds afterward.—
Trisha Easto,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
From clever watermelon slicers to brushes designed to slide into tight crevices, shop more surprisingly useful gadgets below.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encounters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encounters. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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