encounter
verb (used with object)
to come upon or meet with, especially unexpectedly.
had been encountering
-
past perfect progressiveof encounter.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
One social media user said on X they had been encountering issues with the supermarket's app and website for about four hours.
From BBC ● May 16, 2025
Although some Africans had been encountering Arab traders for centuries, the sudden arrival of Portuguese sailors on the West African coast around 1450 caused a sensation.
From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2010
I mentioned how much I had been encountering Kwang.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
They were the same crowd, pretty much, who had been encountering one another all winter—dancing, dining and talking themselves into a state of complete satiety with one another.
From The Real Adventure by Raymond Moreau Crosby
As helpless as the logs she had been encountering, she was loose before the wind that drove her parallel with the shore at no safe distance from its fringe of rocks.
From Gilian The Dreamer His Fancy, His Love and Adventure by Neil Munro
