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
Jane Ciabattari
july 22, Literary Hub, 22 July 2025
The center's July 18 report shows at least 26 states plus Washington, D.C., are encountering a summer surge, according to its epidemic trend modeling, using data from emergency department visits.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 22 July 2025
Gary Graff, Billboard, 11 July 2025
The actor, who starred in 85 episodes of the mogul's BET series The Oval, reflected on his time working with Perry in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, detailing the alleged encounters that led him to file the $260 million lawsuit.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for encounter
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
For the first time Cuba allowed more visitors from abroad, particularly Cuban Americans, and encounters between the Cuban diaspora and Cubans living on the island began to happen.
—Jane Ciabattari
july 22, Literary Hub, 22 July 2025
The center's July 18 report shows at least 26 states plus Washington, D.C., are encountering a summer surge, according to its epidemic trend modeling, using data from emergency department visits.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 22 July 2025
Noun
Hynde at the time, had a more pleasant encounter, however.
—Gary Graff, Billboard, 11 July 2025
The actor, who starred in 85 episodes of the mogul's BET series The Oval, reflected on his time working with Perry in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, detailing the alleged encounters that led him to file the $260 million lawsuit.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 11 July 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 25 Jul. 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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