Synonyms of encounters

encounters 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of encounter

1

as in meets

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

• meets
• confronts
• catches
• greets
• happens (upon)
• runs into
• stumbles (upon)
• runs upon
• runs across
• chances (upon)
• bumps into
• faces
• accosts
• crosses paths (with)
• passes
• salutes
• crosses
• crashes (into)
• collides (with)
• tumbles (to)
• crisscrosses
• hits (upon)
• reencounters
• lights (upon)
• remeets

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• escapes
• avoids
• shakes
• eludes
• evades
• shuns
• ducks
• dodges

2

as in finds

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

• finds
• meets
• runs against
• happens (on or upon)
• stumbles (on or onto)
• comes across
• hits (upon)
• runs into
• tumbles (upon)
• runs across
• faces
• chances (upon)
• pitches (upon)
• lights (on or upon)
• discovers
• confronts
• runs upon
• bumps into
• lucks (out, on, onto, or into)
• turns up
• strikes

3

as in faces

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

• faces
• meets
• engages
• fights
• battles
• takes on
• contends
• rivals
• emulates
• opposes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• escapes
• eludes
• evades
• retreats

encounters

2 of 2

noun

plural of encounter

as in skirmishes

a brief clash between enemies or rivals

survived an encounter with the school bully at the local park

Synonyms & Similar Words

• skirmishes
• fights
• brushes
• run-ins
• brawls
• arguments
• scrapes
• quarrels
• battles
• hassles
• squabbles
• spats
• tiffs
• rows
• wrangles
• frays

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of encounters

Verb

After being acquitted on a technicality, the former leader encounters the ghosts of Mayan genocide victims as protests break out throughout the country in response to the verdict. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

For example, turbulence arises when a flowing fluid encounters an obstacle that changes the velocity of part of the flow. — Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026

An enterprise software company may target only a few thousand buyers, so the same CIO or engineering leader encounters the same creative repeatedly within days. — Matt Jayson, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026

And then Cal’s time traveler colleague Fadimatu encounters her own mummified corpse in a museum in 2018—another paradox. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

Remain is a romantic supernatural thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Phoebe Dynevor and Julie Hagerty, and tells the story of an architect recovering from depression who moves to Cape Cod and encounters a mysterious woman. — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026

Co-starring Madelyn Cline and Penélope Cruz, the film from director Marc Webb revolves around a private-yacht bartender (Cline) who encounters a mysterious, onboard guest (Depp). — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026

Viscose Rugs Jones encounters many homeowners with viscose rugs but is determined that her clients do not go the route of this material. — Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 19 Sep. 2026

Their fragile relationship is disrupted when Sethu encounters a feral child in the forest and brings him home. — Ed Meza, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026

Noun

Koltai asks visitors to communicate their expectations and boundaries, but acknowledges that people can feel violated and that staff aren’t always present or equipped to monitor encounters. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Oct. 2026

The 2011 film is told through three outlaws’ expeditions and encounters through 1870s Texas. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2026

My first inklings of this came in random encounters with Chinese people, in bank lines, on trains, or on the sidelines of public events. — Howard W. French, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026

Fatal encounters were also reported in other Siberian regions. — Arina Porkhovnik, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026

Chivayo was a close ally of Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa and often posted pictures of encounters, including dinners, with heads of state from across Africa. — Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026

The incident comes amid a rise in human-bear encounters across multiple states, including Montana. — N. Kirkpatrick, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026

But officials previously told The Times that postal employees have had other encounters with peacocks, and that the agency has been working with the Pasadena Humane Society regarding concerns involving the birds. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Robles and Hill had previous hostile encounters with one another and at one point stayed in or near the same homeless encampment, police previously said. — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026