1
as in to meet
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to find
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encounter
Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2025
She’s encountered her share of both real and contrived rivalries — par for the course for most pop stars — but never anything explosive enough to disrupt her unbothered aura of tranquility.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2025
John Annese, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2025
That encounter became the basis for the 2006 play Frost/Nixon, written by Peter Morgan (The Crown), and two years later a film directed by Ron Howard, starring Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Verb
Flipping through 1995’s party snapshots, one encounters the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Gianni Versace, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Calvin Klein, Brandy, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2025
She’s encountered her share of both real and contrived rivalries — par for the course for most pop stars — but never anything explosive enough to disrupt her unbothered aura of tranquility.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
Her testimony Tuesday stopped short of that encounter, and she’s expected to take the stand to continue her direct examination on Wednesday.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2025
That encounter became the basis for the 2006 play Frost/Nixon, written by Peter Morgan (The Crown), and two years later a film directed by Ron Howard, starring Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounter
Verb
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Randy Haight – at the time a young patrol officer who was at the crime scene — met his partner at the hospital.—
Erin Moriarty, Liza Finley,
CBS News,
4 May 2025
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Trump and Zelensky briefly met at Pope Francis’s funeral last week.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
3 May 2025
Verb
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The equity research firm conducted a sample on 50 products and found Amazon prices had risen 4.2% higher on April 25.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
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Legal cases involving Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, both charged with manslaughter, ended with Baldwin’s case being dismissed and Gutierrez-Reed found guilty.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Consequently, human workers are facing layoffs, replaced by AI.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
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The broadcaster has also faced challenges editing Edwards out of popular programmes like Doctor Who, and many live events broadcast by the BBC over the past 20 years.—
Caroline Frost,
Deadline,
4 May 2025
Noun
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But the pause comes amid a backdrop of daily skirmishes, largely by drone warfare.—
Stephen J. Beard,
USA Today,
10 May 2025
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Not about the economic turmoil from tariffs, any one of the skirmishes playing out abroad, or a surprise shake-up in his White House staff.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
Verb
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Along the way, each antihero is forced to confront the most unpleasant corners of their mind, and Russell, as an accomplished former hockey player, was eager to disprove anyone who wrote Thunderbolts* off as just another superhero team-up.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2025
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The difference lies in how the screenplay probes the existential struggles warring inside its characters and confronts their pasts.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Painting the issue in overly simplistic terms like ‘banning people born male from women’s sports’, with all the connotations and assumptions that statement carries, brushes over the legislative nuances and culture of women’s football, inspiring misinformed responses.—
Katie Whyatt,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
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The lashes, brushes, and tools are also really great.—
Parizaad Khan Sethi,
Allure,
2 May 2025
Verb
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The alleged thieves were caught and their trial began this week.—
Eleanor Beardsley,
NPR,
29 Apr. 2025
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Secure loose outdoor items and adjust plans as necessary so you're not caught outside.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Medicaid fight will be front and center A major point of contention is cuts to Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for people with disabilities and low-income adults.—
Claudia Grisales,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2025
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The fight is actually bigger than just, oh, how much money does Harvard have?—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encounter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encounter. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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