Synonyms of encounters

encounters 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of encounter

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

• meets
• confronts
• catches
• greets
• happens (upon)
• runs into
• stumbles (upon)
• runs upon
• runs across
• chances (upon)
• bumps into
• faces
• accosts
• crosses paths (with)
• passes
• salutes
• crosses
• crashes (into)
• collides (with)
• tumbles (to)
• crisscrosses
• hits (upon)
• reencounters
• lights (upon)
• remeets

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• escapes
• avoids
• shakes
• eludes
• evades
• shuns
• ducks
• dodges

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

• finds
• meets
• runs against
• happens (on or upon)
• stumbles (on or onto)
• comes across
• hits (upon)
• runs into
• tumbles (upon)
• runs across
• faces
• chances (upon)
• pitches (upon)
• lights (on or upon)
• discovers
• confronts
• runs upon
• bumps into
• lucks (out, on, onto, or into)
• turns up
• strikes

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

• faces
• meets
• engages
• fights
• battles
• takes on
• contends
• rivals
• emulates
• opposes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• escapes
• eludes
• evades
• retreats

encounters

2 of 2

noun

plural of encounter

as in skirmishes

a brief clash between enemies or rivals

survived an encounter with the school bully at the local park

Synonyms & Similar Words

• skirmishes
• fights
• brushes
• run-ins
• brawls
• arguments
• scrapes
• quarrels
• battles
• hassles
• squabbles
• spats
• tiffs
• rows
• wrangles
• frays

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of encounters

Verb

An operational problem is resolved before the customer encounters it. — Ozan Ozerk, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026

The country also encounters difficulties in transmitting and distributing electricity, despite substantial power-generation capacity. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026

Trying to find her brother, Prue — aided by Curtis, who reveals previously unseen pluck and ingenuity — encounters a variety of colorful animal and human characters as both friends and foes. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026

In the show, the crew encounters a white hole spewing time and space into the universe, and the only way to close it is for Lister to play space pool, sinking a planet into the interdimensional fissure via an over-elaborate trick shot. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2026

After being acquitted on a technicality, the former leader encounters the ghosts of Mayan genocide victims as protests break out throughout the country in response to the verdict. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

For example, turbulence arises when a flowing fluid encounters an obstacle that changes the velocity of part of the flow. — Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026

And then Cal’s time traveler colleague Fadimatu encounters her own mummified corpse in a museum in 2018—another paradox. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

Co-starring Madelyn Cline and Penélope Cruz, the film from director Marc Webb revolves around a private-yacht bartender (Cline) who encounters a mysterious, onboard guest (Depp). — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026

Noun

Such encounters allow audiences to ask how an experience becomes a film, and what the filmmaker learns in making it. — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026

The 16- and 17-year-old boys were identified Sunday after New Castle County police received information that helped investigators track them down following the encounters in the Mallard Pointe neighborhood. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

The few encounters with representatives of the law are exasperating — an officer chastises Soulan for being a bad role model for his students — though not necessarily cut and dried. — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

The men have denied wrongdoing, saying that the encounters were consensual or misrepresented in the suit, according to The New York Times. — Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 11 Oct. 2026

The often-handheld camerawork creates the sensation of watching old home videos, even if most of these encounters don’t seem worthy of documentation. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026

But not all encounters with Taliban officials have been catastrophic. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026

The 2011 film is told through three outlaws’ expeditions and encounters through 1870s Texas. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2026

Fatal encounters were also reported in other Siberian regions. — Arina Porkhovnik, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026