ENCOUNTER Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

encounter 1 of 2

verb

in-ˈkau̇n-tər

Definition of encounter

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

as in to face

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

encounter

2 of 2

noun

as in skirmish

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 encounter

Verb

These features are designed to keep it operating in the cold, windy conditions encountered at high altitudes. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026 Sprinklers that operate during periods of heavy pedestrian traffic may unnecessarily increase the risk of someone encountering a wet or slippery walkway. — Christyne D. Santisteban, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026

Noun

Though many residents share a love for the wild burros, others see them as a public safety risk due to the possibility of car crashes, property damage or injuries during close encounters. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 Deliberately managing the mix of visit types can help, too, because some encounters consume substantially more time than others. — Ajay Prasad, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for encounter

Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounter

Verb

Sheffield then met Tamboran’s CEO at the time, Alabama native Joel Riddle.

— Jordan Blum, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
The couple met when Anson attended one of McCollum’s parties in 1978.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of meet

Verb

The story centers on two ex-lovers who come back into each other’s lives after spending decades apart, only to find old feelings stirring with messy and mixed results.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Hall found that forecasting future consumer spending is virtually impossible.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of find

Verb

Brendan McDermid | Reuters Billionaire investor Ray Dalio warned on Thursday that stocks face mounting pressure from rising bond yields and the prospect of weaker corporate cash flows, even as earnings continue to grow.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Yet people who use drugs continue to face significant stigma in our health care system and in the broader public policy debate.

— Philip A. Chan, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of face

Noun

Mark Stephens, of the Howard Kennedy law firm in London, described the hearing as a preliminary skirmish in the broader legal battle.

— Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Ties between the two countries, which had deteriorated sharply following a deadly border skirmish in 2020, have been thawing for more than a year.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of skirmish

Verb

Away from the court, league officials and players also confronted online harassment and a widening debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Why a 'partial yield' works so quickly When your partner confronts you, some part of them is preemptively braced for the effort of convincing you.

— Mark Travers, CNBC, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of confront

Noun

Angle the brush at about 45 degrees where the tooth meets the gum and use short, gentle circular or overlapping strokes.

— Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2026
There are two temperature settings—356 and 410 degrees Fahrenheit for the curling attachments, with slightly lower heat options for the thermal brush.

— Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of brush

Noun

Producer Kang Jeongwon was struck by the film’s central contradiction, that a fight to protect a family can upend its daily life.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Choudri also made headlines earlier this year after the authority put him on leave after police arrested him at his Folsom home following a fight between his daughter and fiancée.

— Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026