ENCOUNTERED Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

encountered

verb

past tense of encounter

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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

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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 Later that day, Franklin police encountered Ray at a truck stop after receiving a report of a suspicious person, Franklin police have said. — Arkansas Online, 29 Aug. 2026 The police report indicated that Lomon encountered the man near the elevators with an open knife. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 The platform will be monitored over time to assess how the bamboo composite performs against fatigue, environmental exposure and other stresses encountered offshore. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026 Detectives learned Oxendine, who was on duty at the time, had encountered the woman while investigating an unrelated call for service in Baltimore, per the statement. — Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026 These powerhouse Los Angeles institutions join a growing cohort of universities in California and nationwide responding quickly to a technology most undergraduates first encountered in chat bots or social media feeds in middle and high school. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 Deputies had encountered the suspect, Hector Nieves, about two hours before the stabbing and conducted a probation search, the Sheriff’s Office said. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026 Once the characters do get out in the world, the book's narrator, Ari, is just listing in a dictionary-like way what is being encountered and trying to understand it — which is sort of what fiction does, too. — Zachary Fletcher, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Reporters encountered zero officers during a two-and-a-half hour ride through uptown and South End last Saturday. — Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountered

Verb

The two officials met on the sidelines of a Group of 20 finance leaders' gathering in Asheville, North Carolina.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Driscoll is an Iraq war veteran, tech investor and former adviser to Vance, whom Driscoll met at Yale Law School.

— Ben Finley, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of met

Verb

That progression is important because solid-state batteries have faced a difficult transition from promising laboratory cells to reliable, high-volume manufacturing.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
The psychological thriller, which Zeller wrote, produced and directed, follows the emotional and moral challenges faced by a couple in an increasingly uncertain world.

— Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of faced

Verb

While the inquiry reached no conclusion on whether the Russini-Vrabel relationship was romantic, Semel noted that Russini, after Page Six confronted her about the photos in April, waited two days before telling her editors and managers.

— Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
As new waves of feminists confronted different issues, some became exasperated by Steinem’s seemingly perennial role as the face of the women’s movement.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of confronted

Verb

Summit caught the turnover bug as the Jaguars lost to Red Oak 20-15.

— Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026
As a result, Japan finds itself in a precarious position, caught between a lack of locals to fill roles in the workforce and a distrust of immigrants who can provide labor.

— Christine Miyawaki, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of caught

Verb

Tagovailoa on return, boos Falcons and former Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was greeted with boos during Friday’s preseason game, lingered on the field afterward to embrace several former teammates and Dolphins staffers.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
He was greeted with a friendly welcome by fans, as multiple people stopped to shake his hand and take pictures with him.

— Jackson Thompson , Patricia Babcock McGraw OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of greeted

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encounter

encountered

encountering

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Style

“Encountered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encountered. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of encountered

verb

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