encounter
Americanverb (used with object)
-
encounters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
encountered,
past participle, past
-
encountering
present participle
-
to come upon or meet with, especially unexpectedly.
to encounter a new situation.
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to meet with or contend against (difficulties, opposition, etc.).
We encounter so many problems in our work.
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to meet (a person, military force, etc.) in conflict.
We will encounter the enemy at dawn.
verb (used without object)
-
encounters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
encountered,
past participle, past
-
encountering
present participle
noun
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encounters
plural
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a meeting with a person or thing, especially a casual, unexpected, or brief meeting.
Our running into each other was merely a chance encounter.
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a meeting of persons or groups that are in conflict or opposition; combat; battle.
Another such encounter and we may lose the war.
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Psychology. a meeting of two or more people, as the members of an encounter group or a number of married couples marriage encounter, conducted to promote direct emotional confrontations among the participants, especially as a form of therapy encountertherapy.
verb
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to come upon or meet casually or unexpectedly
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to come into conflict with (an enemy, army, etc) in battle or contest
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(tr) to be faced with; contend with
he encounters many obstacles in his work
noun
-
a meeting with a person or thing, esp when casual or unexpected
-
a hostile meeting; contest or conflict
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
encountersimple
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encounterssimple
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have encounteredperfect
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has encounteredperfect
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am encounteringprogressive
-
are encounteringprogressive
-
is encounteringprogressive
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have been encounteringperfect progressive
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has been encounteringperfect progressive
Past
-
encounteredsimple
-
had encounteredperfect
-
was encounteringprogressive
-
were encounteringprogressive
-
had been encounteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of encounter
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English encountren, from Anglo-French enco(u)ntrer, from Vulgar Latin incontrāre (unrecorded), equivalent to in- in- 1 + -contrāre, verb suffix derived from contrā “against”; see counter 3
Explanation
If you run into that cute guy (or girl) from the local deli when you’re at the grocery store and you stop to chat, you’ve just had an encounter, which is a casual meeting, often resulting by chance. When you encounter the word encounter, context will tell you if it’s acting as a verb or a noun. The sentence “When Spencer and Susanna encounter a bear on the trail, they stand very still” illustrates the verb form. “The encounter in the subway left her wishing she had stayed at home” shows the noun form. Whether acting as a verb or a noun, the word carries the connotation of “chance meeting." You don’t plan an encounter; it just happens.
Vocabulary lists containing encounter
Against All Odds: Contra and Counter
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"Fears and Phobias," Vocabulary from the article
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Much Ado About Nothing
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Dubois, 29, makes the first defence of his WBO world title after climbing off the canvas twice to stop Wardley in the 11th round of their thrilling encounter in Manchester in May.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Many people encounter them as children, making them among the most recognizable aquatic animals in North America.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
After the robots noisily clunked down the stairs, the strangeness of the encounter began to fade.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
If you scroll through Twitter, you might encounter Tanden engaging in a testy back-and-forth with progressive journalist Mehdi Hasan.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
Meanwhile, clergymen, college presidents, and other self-appointed spokesmen for communal standards of morality seized upon the Burr-Hamilton encounter to launch a crusade against dueling throughout most of the northern states.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
In everyday physics, a charged particle responds to the electric and magnetic fields it encounters.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
At HMP Gloucester, it is zombies that visitors must try and escape from as they walk past old prison cells, facing all sorts of scary encounters.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The real danger of automating our ordinary encounters isn’t that we’ll suddenly forget what human connection feels like.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Far from a predatory pattern of a serial abuser, Cohen characterized the encounters as ham-fisted and occasionally tone deaf bumblings of a “creep” with limited social skills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
He was hit at once with the smell of coffee and frying potatoes, and in spite of everything, especially the close encounters with footed snakes and sheydim, his stomach growled.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Later, it encountered a stray charging cord snaking across the ground as it vacuumed.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
In her groups she said she encountered "desperate" parents navigating a "lack of appropriate and compassionate bereavement care" and a "huge lack of consistency" across health boards.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Because the complete design could be seen only from above, most people encountered it through photographs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
"I've never seen in the decades I've been involved more fear and apprehension among voters," Sharpton said, describing worries he encountered during a recent visit to Ohio.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
The tunnel was the narrowest they had encountered.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
This behavior, known as one-dimensional pinning-free vortex flow, means the vortices can travel along a defined path without encountering the usual obstacles that restrict their movement.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
AST SpaceMobile’s plan to build the first space-based cellular broadband network is encountering major hurdles.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
But it cannot offer the particular surprise of encountering another person who has decided, for no reason other than the pleasure of it, to show me something strange and wonderful.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
They must also show how they prevent children permitted to use their services from encountering content deemed harmful for them.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
As practice for the event of encountering a possible suitor, we urged her to engage in small conversations with nearby men.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
