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
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
By waiting, Florida now encounters competition for Kiffin.
—Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2025
Selective permeability takes over when fresh river water encounters pressurized seawater across a membrane.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
In Colombia, an 18-year-old visits her estranged mother — a former guerrilla turned bride-to-be — hoping to find a revolutionary heroine but instead encounters silence, regret and love unspoken.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
If one looks downwards and to the left one encounters a curved line of four stars, which is Andromeda's body.
—Jesse Emspak, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025
In any case, as the audience encounters figures who don’t quite conform to her earlier descriptions, the play gives Tullock a showcase of characters.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Lo makes her way to the compound where the gala is being held and encounters Sigrid (Amanda Collin), Richard and Anne's head of security.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
One night, when Jeffrey is cleaning himself in the sink, the store’s manager (Peter Dinklage) shows up and encounters the naked trespasser.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Jan. 2026
Experts say there is no clear pattern behind recent shark encounters, emphasizing that the ocean is a dynamic environment where humans enter the natural habitat of marine predators.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
For months, federal agents' actions played out in Chicago's streets, and videos of those encounters were shown in Ellis' courtroom.
—Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The rise in fatal encounters with federal agents The shooting of the woman, identified by family members as Renee Nicole Good, 37, occurred as Homeland Security escalates immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota by deploying 2,000 agents and officers.
—Claudia Lauer, Twin Cities, 8 Jan. 2026
Through intimate encounters and unfiltered conversations, White Man Walking captures a nation riven by fear, disinformation, and historical grievance, while also offering glimpses of empathy and human connection.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
There will be snow, an ice rink, roasting marshmallows around a campfire, winter wonderland character encounters, a light walk, bounce house playland, free photo booth and food vendors selling refreshments.
—Pomerado News, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Flirty texts, meaningful exchanges and chance encounters spark something unexpected, especially through everyday moments like errands, commutes or late-night chats that start casually and end with momentum.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
The effect of climate change on traditional bear food sources, a steep population decline in rural areas, and the decreasing number of hunters have been cited as factors driving the rise in bear encounters.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
Luckily, Dek soon encounters a legless android named Thia, played with pluck by Elle Fanning.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
By waiting, Florida now encounters competition for Kiffin.
—Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2025
Selective permeability takes over when fresh river water encounters pressurized seawater across a membrane.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
In Colombia, an 18-year-old visits her estranged mother — a former guerrilla turned bride-to-be — hoping to find a revolutionary heroine but instead encounters silence, regret and love unspoken.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
If one looks downwards and to the left one encounters a curved line of four stars, which is Andromeda's body.
—Jesse Emspak, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025
In any case, as the audience encounters figures who don’t quite conform to her earlier descriptions, the play gives Tullock a showcase of characters.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Lo makes her way to the compound where the gala is being held and encounters Sigrid (Amanda Collin), Richard and Anne's head of security.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
One night, when Jeffrey is cleaning himself in the sink, the store’s manager (Peter Dinklage) shows up and encounters the naked trespasser.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
Season 2 begins with Langdon's first day back in action, which will inevitably lead to some awkward encounters.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Jan. 2026
Experts say there is no clear pattern behind recent shark encounters, emphasizing that the ocean is a dynamic environment where humans enter the natural habitat of marine predators.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
For months, federal agents' actions played out in Chicago's streets, and videos of those encounters were shown in Ellis' courtroom.
—Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The rise in fatal encounters with federal agents The shooting of the woman, identified by family members as Renee Nicole Good, 37, occurred as Homeland Security escalates immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota by deploying 2,000 agents and officers.
—Claudia Lauer, Twin Cities, 8 Jan. 2026
Through intimate encounters and unfiltered conversations, White Man Walking captures a nation riven by fear, disinformation, and historical grievance, while also offering glimpses of empathy and human connection.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
There will be snow, an ice rink, roasting marshmallows around a campfire, winter wonderland character encounters, a light walk, bounce house playland, free photo booth and food vendors selling refreshments.
—Pomerado News, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Flirty texts, meaningful exchanges and chance encounters spark something unexpected, especially through everyday moments like errands, commutes or late-night chats that start casually and end with momentum.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
The effect of climate change on traditional bear food sources, a steep population decline in rural areas, and the decreasing number of hunters have been cited as factors driving the rise in bear encounters.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounters
Verb
-
The new library would replace Truckee’s existing 50-year-old structure, which supporters say no longer meets the needs of a growing population.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Tesla shareholders have approved a conditional pay package for CEO Elon Musk that could unlock up to a trillion dollars in stock if the company meets specific criteria, according to preliminary results from the annual shareholder meeting.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The patient thriller finds Agnes lonely in her seedy motel, with a phone that often rings, though the person on the other end of the line never speaks.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Don’t miss out on fuzzy socks, best-selling makeup, clever home organizing essentials, and more under-the-radar finds starting at $4.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Still, the company faces the same existential headwinds that have scared other would-be moguls away from the news business.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
At Barton Creek Technologies, Anna Chen, the chief human resources officer, faces a dilemma over the company’s performance improvement plan (PIP).—
Harvard Business Review,
Harvard Business Review,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
David Wolf, the executive director of the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Scottsbluff, said experts estimate that as many 10 people died for every mile of the trail ‒ perhaps as many as 20,000 travelers, plus an unknown number of Native Americans killed during skirmishes.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Amid the skirmishes that ensued, federal agents fired a chemical agent toward a protester at near-point-blank range, and security personnel later opened fire on a U-Haul truck that had backed up toward a barrier on the island’s bridge, injuring the driver and an apparent bystander.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The interpreter eventually confronts the writer, telling her that Chizuko wants to protect an idealized version of her, not the real Ō Chizuru.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Even the climax of the film, when Bella confronts Edward about his vampire identity in the misty Washington forest, loses its dramatic edge thanks to Edward's emphatic rebuke of his predatory nature.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
According to reports, there were fights in the snake-like queue that formed.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Town budgets, school boards, zoning fights, shoreline resilience — these are problems that punish purity.—
Robert T.F. Downes,
Hartford Courant,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Alphonse Pierre’s Off the Dome column covers songs, mixtapes, albums, scenes, snippets, movies, Meek Mill tweets, fashion trends—and anything else that catches his attention.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Helm catches glimpses of the humans.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Her brushes guided her into a new era—one where art would no longer be a side passion, but the foundation of a visual language that continues to deepen, expand, and heal.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Switching brushes in Photoshop, inserting a new row in Excel, skipping slides in PowerPoint, or jumping between those applications can now be done with a single gesture.—
Maryna Holovnova,
New Atlas,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encounters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encounters. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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