en·coun·ter
in-ˈkau̇n-tər 
en-
encountered; encountering
in-ˈkau̇n-t(ə-)riŋ
en-
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
: to meet especially by chance
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
Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
Yankees supporters are accustomed to Dodger Stadium being hostile ground, but being hit by a chunk of concrete falling from the stadium ceiling is beyond what fans steel themselves to encounter.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 5 June 2025
The encounter drew widespread attention at a time of growing clashes between the Trump administration and Democrats over Trump's hardline approach to immigration.
—Andrew Goudsward, USA Today, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Verb
Domestic cats descend from desert-dwelling ancestors who rarely encountered large bodies of water.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
Yankees supporters are accustomed to Dodger Stadium being hostile ground, but being hit by a chunk of concrete falling from the stadium ceiling is beyond what fans steel themselves to encounter.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Noun
Like Ventura, Jane testified that the encounters would sometimes last days.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 5 June 2025
The encounter drew widespread attention at a time of growing clashes between the Trump administration and Democrats over Trump's hardline approach to immigration.
—Andrew Goudsward, USA Today, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Cite this Entry
“Encounter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encounter. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
encounter
1 of 2 verb
en·coun·ter
in-ˈkau̇nt-ər
encountered; encountering
-ˈkau̇nt-ə-riŋ
-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 noun1
: 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
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