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
Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Susie Prince, owner and designer of Susie Mae Design in Atlanta, Georgia, encounters the same issue with magazines.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
Related Stories Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday encounters Rosaline one night after following the advice of her Grandmama Hester Frump (Joanna Lumley).
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
Leaders need to listen to the pain points their team encounters daily and seek to understand their concerns.
—Bek Abdullayev, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Here are reminders on what to avoid if someone encounters a bear in the wild.
—C. A. Bridges, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
The cat-and-mouse Sundance thriller follows a twenty-something retail clerk who encounters a rising pop star and takes the opportunity to edge his way into the in-crowd.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2025
As the owner of a moving company, Robert rarely encounters people who know ASL.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025
But when extreme rainfall encounters the mountainous topography, water is rapidly channeled into low-lying areas and can wash out the region’s many creeks and streams.
—Nidhi Sharma, NBC news, 22 Aug. 2025
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
When to visit Baja A Baja cruise is ideal from late fall through early spring when temperatures are mild and wildlife encounters peak.
—Uncruise Adventures, AFAR Media, 3 Sep. 2025
The event will feature fun and creative stations with spiderweb paintings, bubble potions and live encounters with some of the museum’s resident critters.
—Virginia Brown, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2025
The event was labelled as one of the most credible military UFO encounters, and also became the subject of an Iranian film.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
Enjoy the Outdoors For more wildlife encounters, check out Hunters Springs Park, a public park complete with a small beach, swimming area, canoe and kayak launch, and a boardwalk along the waterway that's ideal for bird spotting.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
The state encounters, which are in addition to what local police are doing, add to the total number of people that ICE is taking off the street and preparing to deport.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 2 Sep. 2025
The brief clip has become another example of how unexpected encounters with wildlife can transform into viral content, drawing laughter and admiration from audiences far beyond Colorado.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Specifically, your encounters with women (regardless of your own gender) will be meaningful.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
In an effort to help the group retrieve it, Guy encounters William Fitchner’s Jasper, a mysterious American who has quietly assumed control and influence over the Talamasca’s London Motherhouse.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Susie Prince, owner and designer of Susie Mae Design in Atlanta, Georgia, encounters the same issue with magazines.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
Related Stories Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday encounters Rosaline one night after following the advice of her Grandmama Hester Frump (Joanna Lumley).
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
Leaders need to listen to the pain points their team encounters daily and seek to understand their concerns.
—Bek Abdullayev, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Here are reminders on what to avoid if someone encounters a bear in the wild.
—C. A. Bridges, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
The cat-and-mouse Sundance thriller follows a twenty-something retail clerk who encounters a rising pop star and takes the opportunity to edge his way into the in-crowd.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2025
As the owner of a moving company, Robert rarely encounters people who know ASL.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025
But when extreme rainfall encounters the mountainous topography, water is rapidly channeled into low-lying areas and can wash out the region’s many creeks and streams.
—Nidhi Sharma, NBC news, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
Misalignments of the Metroidvania formula Once perfected, the combat encounters and extra hard challenges become the game’s bread and butter.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
When to visit Baja A Baja cruise is ideal from late fall through early spring when temperatures are mild and wildlife encounters peak.
—Uncruise Adventures, AFAR Media, 3 Sep. 2025
The event will feature fun and creative stations with spiderweb paintings, bubble potions and live encounters with some of the museum’s resident critters.
—Virginia Brown, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2025
The event was labelled as one of the most credible military UFO encounters, and also became the subject of an Iranian film.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
Enjoy the Outdoors For more wildlife encounters, check out Hunters Springs Park, a public park complete with a small beach, swimming area, canoe and kayak launch, and a boardwalk along the waterway that's ideal for bird spotting.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
The state encounters, which are in addition to what local police are doing, add to the total number of people that ICE is taking off the street and preparing to deport.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 2 Sep. 2025
The brief clip has become another example of how unexpected encounters with wildlife can transform into viral content, drawing laughter and admiration from audiences far beyond Colorado.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Specifically, your encounters with women (regardless of your own gender) will be meaningful.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounters
Verb
-
Bathsheba successfully forces one woman to kill her child but meets her match in the one-two punch of Lili Taylor and Farmiga.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Projections show a 'dire' future for the river Worst-case hydrology could also reduce the river's flows to a point where the water received by Lower Basin states and Mexico no longer meets the amount required by a century-old compact governing water use on the river.—
Austin Corona,
AZCentral.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That is to say Vogue finds itself on the precipice of a generational, technological, and economic reckoning.—
Gemma Allen,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Thomas Samson | Afp | Getty Images Heading into another vote of confidence next week, France now unexpectedly finds itself unfavorably compared to Italy, a country previously renowned for political upheaval and economic frailty.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Now, a grown-up Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) faces new and familiar frights after her equally goth daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), opens a portal to the Netherworld and reawakens everyone's favorite pinstriped ghost.—
Emy LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The massive compensation offer comes as Tesla faces one of its worst sales streaks, with its stock falling 16% this year, driven by rising competition, government cuts to EV subsidies, and Musk’s polarizing politics.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Meanwhile, Desmond Castle stands watch beyond the village park—its stone battlements and arrow slits recalling Norman skirmishes and feudal lords.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Of all the conflicts Trump has involved himself in since returning to the White House, the skirmishes over a colonial-era border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia may be the smallest.—
Matthew Tostevin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
By turning plastic into poetry, the project not only gives voice to community expression but also confronts the urgent issue of waste.—
Jonel Juste,
Miami Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
-
As Mars confronts Jupiter, the world is your oyster!—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But Republicans’ long-running internal fights over how to handle health insurance coverage are far from settled, and party leaders are not eager to take a firm stance.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Trump has attended several other high-profile sporting events in 2025, including Super Bowl LIX, the Daytona 500, and multiple UFC fights.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But Isaac catches Thing’s dart, then reattaches Thing to his arm and buries Wednesday alive.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The inner activated carbon filter catches invisible particles and helps to neutralize odors from cooking, pets, smoke, or your teenager’s gym bag.—
Maggie Horton,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And there were some takes like that, with brushes, just a bare minimum rhythmic approach.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
4 Sep. 2025
-
In addition to the clipping tools, the 7-in-1 pet grooming appliance also comes with a dog paw trimmer, a nail grinder, a deshedding tool and brushes to keep your pup’s hair tangle-free.—
Jessie Quinn,
USA Today,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encounters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encounters. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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