encounter

American  

[en-koun-ter] / ɛnˈkaʊn tər /

verb (used with object)

1. to come upon or meet with, especially unexpectedly.

   to encounter a new situation.

2. to meet with or contend against (difficulties, opposition, etc.).

   We encounter so many problems in our work.

3. to meet (a person, military force, etc.) in conflict.

   We will encounter the enemy at dawn.

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verb (used without object)

1. to meet, especially unexpectedly or in conflict.

   We were angry when we encountered, but we parted with smiles.

noun

1. a meeting with a person or thing, especially a casual, unexpected, or brief meeting.

   Our running into each other was merely a chance encounter.

2. a meeting of persons or groups that are in conflict or opposition; combat; battle.

   Another such encounter and we may lose the war.

3. 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.

encounter British  

/ ɪnˈkaʊntə /

verb

1. to come upon or meet casually or unexpectedly

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

3. (tr) to be faced with; contend with

   he encounters many obstacles in his work

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noun

1. a meeting with a person or thing, esp when casual or unexpected

2. a hostile meeting; contest or conflict

Other Word Forms

• encounterer
  noun
• preencounter
  noun
• reencounter
  verb
• unencountered
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Increasingly, members of the public are photographing plants and animals they encounter and uploading them to online databases such as iNaturalist.

From Science Daily • May 18, 2026

This chance encounter was the beginning of the end for the pair's planned and calculated deception.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

If Spielberg’s earlier UFO movies gave us awe, comfort and catastrophe, this one feels like an encounter of a fourth kind: What happens when the cover story breaks?

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

This is the China that Trump will encounter when he sits down with Xi in the Great Hall of the People on Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

Doha clasped his shaking hands tightly, still badly frightened and angered by the encounter.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

Related Words

• bear
• bump into
• come across
• come upon
• confront
• detect
• experience
• face
• find
• meet
• run into
• suffer
• turn up