encounter

1 of 2

verb

en·​coun·​ter in-ˈkau̇n-tər How to pronounce encounter (audio)
en-
encountered; encountering in-ˈkau̇n-t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce encounter (audio)
en-

transitive verb

1
a
: to meet as an adversary or enemy
b
: to engage in conflict with
2
: to come upon face-to-face
3
: to come upon or experience especially unexpectedly
encounter difficulties

intransitive verb

: to meet especially by chance

encounter

2 of 2

noun

1
: a meeting between hostile factions or persons : a sudden often violent clash
an encounter between the police and demonstrators
2
a
: a chance meeting
an accidental encounter
b
: a particular kind of meeting or experience with another person
a romantic encounter
3
: a coming into the vicinity of a celestial body
the Martian encounter of a spacecraft

Examples of encounter in a Sentence

Verb We encountered problems early in the project. The pilot told us that we might encounter turbulence during the flight. Her suggestion has encountered a lot of opposition. Noun a chance encounter with a famous writer The tour boat had a close encounter with a breeching humpback whale. There was a violent encounter between fans of the opposing teams. It was her first encounter with cigarettes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Nathaniel Rowland had a significant amount of blood on his shorts, t-shirt, hands, face and hair when Detective Sullivan encountered him. Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024 Seavey wasn't the first musher to encounter a moose along that stretch of the race. CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024 The second incident happened later on Friday when CBP officers encountered a 48-year-old male Mexican citizen traveling in a 2020 Dodge Ram who presented a U.S. Employment Authorization Card for a woman. Landon Mion, Fox News, 5 Mar. 2024 An Ivy League campus in 2024 was as volatile a venue as his troupe had encountered. Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 That way, organizers say, the volunteers can quickly respond to rumors or company talking points that co-workers encounter. Noam Scheiber, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 Wolves like Asha wandering north also will not find other Mexican wolves to mate with and could encounter and breed with dogs, coyotes or northern gray wolves recently released in Colorado. Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 Navalny’s team encountered difficulty in retrieving his body from Russian authorities and hiring a venue for his funeral, which was held Friday afternoon at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God in Moscow’s Maryino district, where the Kremlin critic lived. Matthew Chance, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 While fossil misidentifications and forgeries are rare, this isn’t the first time scientists have encountered an overhyped rock. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
Though their encounter lasts just a minute, Giamatti can’t stop laughing at the charade, commending Friend’s startlingly familiar and hard-to-achieve mannerisms. Jake Kring-Schreifels, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Random encounters seem to point her in the right direction, but what was hoped to be a journey of self-discovery gradually becomes a hunt for the monster itself. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 Watch Next: Black Bear Bites Man in His Own Garage Violent black bear encounters are rare. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 7 Mar. 2024 Ziegler insisted throughout the investigation that the encounter was consensual. Max Greenwood, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 This time around, a highlight of the event was the second encounter between presidents Maduro and Ali. Elias Ferrer, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Taylor Zakhar Perez is recounting a bizarre encounter with a fan at the SAG Awards 2024. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 Each team had a close encounter with a goal during a scoreless first half. San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2024 In January, the US Border Patrol reported more than 124,000 encounters along the southern border. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'encounter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English encountren, from Anglo-French encuntrer, from Medieval Latin incontrare, from Late Latin incontra toward, from Latin in- + contra against — more at counter

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of encounter was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near encounter

Cite this Entry

“Encounter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encounter. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

encounter

1 of 2 verb
en·​coun·​ter in-ˈkau̇nt-ər How to pronounce encounter (audio)
encountered; encountering -ˈkau̇nt-ə-riŋ How to pronounce encounter (audio)
-ˈkau̇n-triŋ
1
: to engage in a struggle with as an enemy or rival
2
: to come upon face-to-face : meet
3
: to come upon unexpectedly
encountered problems

encounter

2 of 2 noun
1
: a clash between enemies or rivals
also : a very unfriendly meeting
had an encounter with the boss
2
a
: a chance meeting
b
: a meeting face-to-face

More from Merriam-Webster on encounter

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