ENCOUNTERS Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

encounters 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of encounter

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

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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 encounters

Verb

Anyone who encounters a shark is also asked to remain calm. —

Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 9 June 2026 The group, with help from local experts, encounters numerous massive makos and shares what this beefy population of sharks could mean for the mako species. —

Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026 Their biggest fear is that a powerful hurricane strikes a dense urban area, like Miami, and encounters a population not unlike the residents of 1926, who were ill prepared for a storm and its aftermath. —

Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026 Anyone who encounters a moose should give it time and space to move, wildlife officials said. —

Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 27 May 2026 The material encounters massive energy barriers that prevent it from naturally reaching this state. —

Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 May 2026 The mental health domain is also a realm that encounters imbalance difficulties. —

Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026 The scary-looking fellow who Mando encounters on his way to see Lord Janu (Jonny Coyne) is an Iktotchi named Hogsbreth, played by Matthew Willig. —

Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 23 May 2026 She is invited to join him and his fratty tech-bro buddies on a business trip to Bangkok, but their private plane encounters violent turbulence during a storm. —

Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 21 May 2026

Noun

The latest incident is one of several risky encounters reported at Iguazu Falls this year, the agency said. —

Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2026 Authorities at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which spans parts of North Carolina and Tennessee, also reported a spike in encounters between aggressive bears and humans in April. —

Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 10 June 2026 Yes, a new Steven Spielberg movie about close encounters with extraterrestrials is landing — and misses the mark. —

Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026 Those encounters resulted in 50 arrests, including 16 classified as immigration arrests, placing Miami Springs among the most active municipalities in Florida participating in the program despite its relatively small population. —

Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026 Seemingly inspired by former Bucks star Ray Allen, the Idols Become Rivals nickname appears to stem from Michael Jordan’s head-to-head encounters with the sharpshooting star. —

Riley Jones, Footwear News, 10 June 2026 Danny is a whistleblower (not unlike Edward Snowden), who has in his possession the complete archive of America’s footage of alien encounters, going back to the Roswell incident of 1947. —

Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 June 2026 Wildlife experts say encounters like this are becoming more common across Southern California as development continues to fragment natural habitats. —

Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026 There were up to about 1 million such ICE encounters from January 2025 to March 2026, according to data the group obtained from public records requests. —

Huo Jingnan, NPR, 3 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounters

Verb

Argentina plays the first game in Kansas City on June 16, and Ecuador meets Curacao here on June 20.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026
Situated where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, the charming seaside town has miles of beaches, nature and bike trails, and bird sanctuaries in Cape Henlopen State Park.

— USA TODAY Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026