encounter

[ en-koun-ter ]

/ ɛnˈkaʊn tər /

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See synonyms for: encounter / encountered / encountering / encounters on Thesaurus.com

Definition of encounter

verb (used with object)

to come upon or meet with, especially unexpectedly: to encounter a new situation.

to meet with or contend against (difficulties, opposition, etc.): We encounter so many problems in our work.

to meet (a person, military force, etc.) in conflict: We will encounter the enemy at dawn.

verb (used without object)

to meet, especially unexpectedly or in conflict: We were angry when we encountered, but we parted with smiles.

noun

a meeting with a person or thing, especially a casual, unexpected, or brief meeting: Our running into each other was merely a chance encounter.

a meeting of persons or groups that are in conflict or opposition; combat; battle: Another such encounter and we may lose the war.

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 (encounter therapy ).

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Origin of encounter

1250–1300; Middle English encountren<Anglo-French enco(u)ntrer;Old French <Vulgar Latin *incontrāre, equivalent to in-in-¹ + -contrāre, derivative of contrā against; see counter³

OTHER WORDS FROM encounter

en·coun·ter·er, nounpre·en·coun·ter, noun, verb (used with object)re·en·coun·ter, verb, nounun·en·coun·tered, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use encounter in a sentence

Any psychotherapist who has analyzed thousands of dreams by various patients would be bound by simple chance to note coincidences at some point between elements in dreams and common events in real life, such as encounters with insects.
The Synchronicity of Wolfgang Pauli and Carl Jung - Issue 93: Forerunners|Paul Halpern|November 18, 2020|Nautilus
McDonald said he hopes that might help with an alarming widening of social groups and casual encounters, particularly among youths.
At dinner parties and game nights, casual American life is fueling the coronavirus surge|Karin Brulliard|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
I had an encounter with an elderly lady who went to one of our distributions.
‘What we’ve seen since covid has been a precipitous increase in need,’ says Feeding America CEO|KK Ottesen|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
He postulates that psychedelic encounters with the seemingly divine feel so significant—so real—because the drugs also enhance the meaning people impose on experiences.
What happens when psychedelics make you see God|Sarah Scoles|November 9, 2020|Popular-Science

Then there are the harrowing encounters with extreme weather, natural disasters, venomous animals, or, worse, the death of an expedition member, which can be difficult to manage emotionally, especially with a long way still to go on a grueling trip.
Meet the Woman Teaching the Psychology of Survival|Emily Sohn|November 9, 2020|Outside Online
Lalo insisted during a recent interview that they encountered Chito “and his people by accident.”
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We have no information yet on what other flights were in the air then, and what they encountered.
Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501?|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His later books drew heavily from experiences and people he encountered at the bar, including the cruel captain in The Sea-Wolf.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was neither the best nor worst pickup line I encountered that evening.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots|Emily Shire|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He encountered struggles that many foreign newcomers face upon beginning a new life in America.
Cuban Hip-Hop Was Born in Alamar|Daniel Levin|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some weeks after, the creditor chanced to be in Boston, and in walking up Tremont street, encountered his enterprising friend.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
It is here that the Communist regime in Russia has encountered its most fatal difficulty.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Nigel found him an excellent fellow, the most sympathetic and energetic man of Eastern blood whom he had ever encountered.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
But the desperate resistance they encountered compelled them to abandon the island with the loss of 25,000 men.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Megaloblasts in very small numbers have been encountered in extremely severe cases.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for encounter

encounter

/ (ɪnˈkaʊntə) /

verb

to come upon or meet casually or unexpectedly

to come into conflict with (an enemy, army, etc) in battle or contest

(tr) to be faced with; contend withhe 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

Derived forms of encounter

encounterer, noun

Word Origin for encounter

C13: from Old French encontrer, from Vulgar Latin incontrāre (unattested), from Latin in- ² + contrā against, opposite

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

encounter

Definition of encounter

Origin of encounter

OTHER WORDS FROM encounter

Words related to encounter

How to use encounter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for encounter

Derived forms of encounter

Word Origin for encounter