encounter
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
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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
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a meeting with a person or thing, esp when casual or unexpected
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a hostile meeting; contest or conflict
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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encountersimple
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encounterssimple
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have encounteredperfect
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has encounteredperfect
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am encounteringprogressive
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are encounteringprogressive
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is encounteringprogressive
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have been encounteringperfect progressive
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has been encounteringperfect progressive
Past
-
encounteredsimple
-
had encounteredperfect
-
was encounteringprogressive
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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:
“I had an encounter once with someone who was on Epstein’s staff but was a mature woman,” he told the committee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Hayley Dylan is seeking unspecified economic and non-economic damages from Scott, who was 26 and married at the time of the encounter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
He saw the encounter as a hopeful image of "a gentle giant safeguarding the last green meadows of the sea".
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
On Sunday, I shall manufacture five identical lunches, and by Thursday afternoon I will apparently still be delighted to encounter a lentil-and-quinoa bowl.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
His contribution—detailing an encounter when two souls had arrived at once— used a variety of mediums: berry pulp, bone slivers, feathers, sap.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
When the immune system encounters a threat, CD4 CTLs can make copies of themselves.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
Venezuelan psychologist Maria Eugenia Tovar defended the battles, arguing they "can lead to in-person encounters" for teens.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
“Postal employees in this area have experienced previous encounters with peacocks, and the Postal Service has been working with Pasadena Humane regarding concerns involving the birds,” Kristina Uppal, a U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
It is unclear if the encounters are part of a social media trend, he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Hadn’t he played “The Game of the Century,” one of the most brilliant chess encounters ever?
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Waters has encountered complete artifacts while working with shipwreck collections, where intact objects are more common.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
While he was searching for a missing goat he encountered a group of women panning along a riverbed.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
I encountered Chud’s footprint almost everywhere I went.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
The concept and design of her forthcoming restaurant were heavily inspired by places she has encountered in South Korea, where dessert restaurants are much more common.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Perhaps I am a subset of robot, but I have not encountered enough robots to know for sure.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
He’s streamlined the drama to an hour and 40 minutes and cut and combined some characters, though he promises that audiences will be encountering “the whole play.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Although the attention remained positive, the level of excitement required heightened security, with some supporters even booking rooms in the same hotel in the hope of encountering players in lifts and public areas.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
However, Stein said there is no reason to worry about encountering one.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Reuters reported that many migrants who reached Ceuta have already returned to Morocco after encountering overcrowding, food shortages and little prospect of continuing onward into mainland Europe.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
She lay warm in her bed, her fingers playing over her own smile as though encountering it for the first time.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
