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
-
encounters
plural
-
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
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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
-
are encounteringprogressive
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is encounteringprogressive
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have been encounteringperfect progressive
-
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:
McHenry does not mention this encounter in her video and says she decided to leave the arena.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The Endeavour was Olivas’ first encounter with any space shuttle, and he studied the spacecraft closely in the wake of the 2003 space shuttle Columbia accident.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
These deceptive signals can lure web-building spiders toward what appears to be an easy meal, only for them to encounter the hunting Portia instead.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
Few of those selected for this tournament bear the scars of that encounter, with a youthful and dynamic squad featuring only six of the team from the Sin City debacle.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Surely he was trying to understand the trail of blood and his encounter with the ghostly bank teller.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
She was a jet-setting, president-schmoozing pragmatist, who in unguarded moments spoke mystically about her two youthful encounters with UFOs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Although ideology "matters for symbolic encounters," it is "not that relevant" in practice, according to Oliver Stuenkel, an international relations professor at the FGV.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
She also revealed how her condition can lead to awkward encounters, saying she sometimes approaches the wrong people "and give them an almost hug" before realising her mistake.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The researchers also wanted to answer a particularly important question for future Mars missions: What happens when an astronaut who has spent months in weightlessness suddenly encounters gravity again?
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
We had several dramatic encounters that first term.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
These cosmic shock waves are vastly more powerful than those encountered near Jupiter.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
He had wanted to meet McGee long before they encountered each other in a San Francisco thrift store last year, and he admires his support for less established artists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The changes address a long-simmering grievance among travelers, some of whom have encountered checkout instructions that read less like the end of a vacation and more like the beginning of a Saturday spent doing housework.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
The debate encountered a practical test after the Fed raised rates last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
But running down the street to pick up his hat, I encountered Otto surrounded by an indignant little cluster of people who had seen what happened.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
A college dropout, Adams was inspired to start working in public radio after encountering “All Things Considered” as a listener.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
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
As his army marched east, city after city surrendered before him, until by 245 he reached Babylon without encountering serious resistance.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
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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.
