1
as in met
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 found
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 faced
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 encountered
Lorain Police, while doing proactive patrolling in the area, encountered a man and exchanged gunfire with him at the dead end of River Bend Drive, Elyria Police Chief James Welsh told reporters at the time.
—
Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Off the coast of Monterey Bay, California, researchers encountered several unusual creatures in the deep, cold water.
—Lauren Liebhaber
september 8, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
But Amin has also encountered the commercial realities that other brands face.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 5 Sep. 2025
The latest season transported viewers to Thailand, where the latest batch of glamorous guests (played by Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Carrie Coon, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Walton Goggins and many more) encountered enlightenment, spirituality and death.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Ars Technica writers have encountered errors getting store pages to load, adding the game to an online shopping cart, and checking out once the game is part of the cart.
—Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 4 Sep. 2025
Over the past year, Super Micro has encountered considerable controversy, including allegations of accounting discrepancies, delays in SEC filings, and scrutiny from short sellers.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
As a result of these factors, as well as the bureaucratic difficulties encountered by those attempting to enter the country legally, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) projected in July that net migration in 2025 will land between 115,000 and negative 525,000.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Years in the making The project was developed by Bae, during his doctoral studies, who after joining the ORNL encountered challenges turning theory into reality.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Off the coast of Monterey Bay, California, researchers encountered several unusual creatures in the deep, cold water.
—Lauren Liebhaber
september 8, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
But Amin has also encountered the commercial realities that other brands face.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 5 Sep. 2025
The latest season transported viewers to Thailand, where the latest batch of glamorous guests (played by Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Carrie Coon, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Walton Goggins and many more) encountered enlightenment, spirituality and death.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Ars Technica writers have encountered errors getting store pages to load, adding the game to an online shopping cart, and checking out once the game is part of the cart.
—Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 4 Sep. 2025
Over the past year, Super Micro has encountered considerable controversy, including allegations of accounting discrepancies, delays in SEC filings, and scrutiny from short sellers.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
As a result of these factors, as well as the bureaucratic difficulties encountered by those attempting to enter the country legally, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) projected in July that net migration in 2025 will land between 115,000 and negative 525,000.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Years in the making The project was developed by Bae, during his doctoral studies, who after joining the ORNL encountered challenges turning theory into reality.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountered
Verb
-
Hopes were raised for a rapprochement between Harry and his father in July when aides of Harry and the King met for the first time in London.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Garcia’s signing was met with total consensus across the club, and Flick was one of the biggest advocates for Rashford’s move to Barca.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Advertisement In some respects, Patagonia has hardly changed since Chouinard founded the company.—
David Gelles,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
-
With no clear winner yet, the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors, a public-private platform founded by the European Commission in 2024, has been edging its bets.—
Anna Heim,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tennessee faced a third-and-10 at their own 35-yard line, and the crowd at Empower Field was at a fever pitch.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Democrats faced a fair amount of criticism from their ranks over going along with keeping the government open back in the spring.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Chicago officials, faced with pressure from the teachers union and community groups, have not confronted this challenge.—
Mila Koumpilova,
ProPublica,
9 Sep. 2025
-
However, the pair were soon confronted by an unidentified woman, who started to argue angrily with them.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Kirk’s zeal caught the attention of Bill Montgomery, a businessman and Tea Party activist, who urged him to forgo college and dedicate himself fully to political organizing.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Since 1986, employers have required to verify workers' eligibility to work, and can be fined or jailed if caught knowingly breaking the law.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
He was greeted with loud cheers from people across the street and a smattering of boos inside, according to social media video and reporters.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Wrapped in a bulky down jacket, Putin greeted residents eager to meet him.—
Yegor Mostovshikov,
The Dial,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encountered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encountered. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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