encountered

verb

past tense of encounter
1
as in met
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face quite unexpectedly encountered our next-door neighbor while vacationing in Europe

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in found
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance we encountered a host of unforeseen problems during the restoration of our 200-year-old house

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in faced
to enter into contest or conflict with the troops encountered bands of guerrilla fighters as they made their way across the desert

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of encountered Robotics engineers can select, adapt, and recombine individual biological mechanisms to address specific technical challenges that evolutionary pressures never encountered. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026 In addition to reconsidering the role of drawing within her broader practice, the show aims to open Hesse’s work to viewers who may not have encountered the full breadth of her output, according to Tattersall. — Gabriella Angeleti, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 His efforts, however, encountered their greatest obstacle after World War II due to the suspicions aroused by Philip’s family’s uncomfortable ties to the Nazis. — Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026 In July 2026, University of Texas at Dallas computer science student Sinan Can Demir encountered something remarkable while examining an open-source project on GitHub. — Carlo Tortora Brayda, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026 Prosecutor Melesa Johnson’s memories Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson encountered Leon’s through family. — Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026 Despite a strong résumé, Buchanan has encountered various barriers to entry throughout his career. — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2026 On the streets of Bangui, CNN encountered open hostility toward LGBTQ people. — Mick Krever, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026 Investigators are still working to determine exactly what happened inside the house, and Hartman said officers encountered inconsistencies while interviewing those who were there. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountered
  1. met
  2. found
  3. faced
  4. confronted
  5. caught
  6. greeted
Verb
  • Russian media also reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin observed the drills at the Chebarkul Training Ground on Friday and met foreign military attaches.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Most Read Reviews Appropriately enough for two musicians working at the cutting edge of this underground, Bowery Electric’s Martha Schwendener and Lawrence Chandler met while working at pre-fab master Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of met
Verb
  • Fabscrap was founded in 2016 by New York City Department of Sanitation employee Jessica Schreiber.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
  • King Promise founded Rent Paid to fundraise for local community charities, including the Nungua Orphanage, which provides support to those under 16 in the area.
    — Sophie Williams, Billboard, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of found
Verb
  • The country singer also asked fans to donate to the Young Center for Immigrant Rights, which helps children whose parents have faced deportations, during the opening night of her tour in Chicago back in August.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The Cornell 7 lawsuit refers to the legal document filed by an unnamed Cornell University student who accused seven men of raping and drugging her at a frat house party in October 2024 — and faced no legal consequences.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of faced
Verb
  • The seizure in Riverside County was in connection with a past election, but the case provides an important road map for courts that may be confronted with these issues in the context of an ongoing election in November.
    — Danielle Friedman, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Hill stood up and confronted Wilson immediately face-to-face before ordering him to go back to the huddle.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of confronted
Verb
  • Winter is still so young—24—and caught in the glare of a very bright followspot.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The ball would not have left the playing field nor would it have been caught.
    — James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of caught
Verb
  • Union stalwarts representing steelworkers, utility workers, construction workers and others greeted the 73-year-old Democrat with resounding cheers and endless handshakes.
    — Andrea Hsu, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026
  • When Jumaa Abed Saad returned to his farm in Sheikh Ijlin in January 2025 after more than a year of displacement, the place that greeted him was nearly unrecognizable.
    — Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of greeted

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encountered
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Cite this Entry

“Encountered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encountered. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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