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

Coon plays Rita, a woman in midlife haunted by the weight of her past, who encounters magnetic young spiritual leader Ricki (James) and leaves her family to follow her to an all-female commune. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026

The locations were transformed into a variety of settings, including ancient Troy, Odysseus' homeland of Ithaca and the cave in which the hero encounters the Cyclops. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Anyone who encounters a bear behaving aggressively should call 911. — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Along the way, Jackie encounters enemies and rivals, some of whom remain her rivals while others become her friends. — Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026

The story turns Hishem, on a customs officer on the Algerian-Tunisian border, who encounters Tesla, a donkey lost in the desert with headphones over his ears, with a bag of cocaine on his back. — Annika Pham, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026

The strongest plan is not the one that never encounters disruption. — Kristin Vance Richards, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

California shark encounters There were fewer than 250 shark incidents in California since 1950, with encounters recorded in every coastal county. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 29 July 2026

These unusual conditions explain why Sara discovers an ominous dead saltwater fish inside the caves before the group encounters a much larger ocean creature. — Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 29 July 2026

Noun

Enjoy live music and up-close encounters with animal ambassadors. — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026

On April 1st, Trump’s presence generated dark comedy and cringily implausible encounters. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Our findings reveal that these encounters are far more widespread than scientists had realised. — Cyril Grueter, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026

The number of fatal encounters between hippos and humans are not known, but are estimated at a minimum of 500 deaths each year. — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2026

These unusual encounters are more than fascinating natural history. — Cyril Grueter, Scientific American, 8 Aug. 2026

Southwest border encounters have fallen to their lowest levels in decades, while fentanyl overdose deaths are declining. — Chris Shays, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026

The policy gives the ICE director broad discretion to delay or block footage of fatal encounters, raising fears that cameras will serve public relations, not transparency or accountability. — Ryan J. Foley, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026

Others are using wearable brain imaging systems to study social cognition in natural encounters between people, which isn’t possible when subjects are in scanners like MRI machines. — Yigit Topoglu, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026